Swish and Flick
by bryancuypers
Summary: Asher gets a letter over the summer from a mysterious school. Beginning his life as a wizard will have it's ups and downs. How will he fare in his first year as a wizard? Mainly OCs.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So this is a Harry Potter story I've been working on for a long time. It's finished already, and there ARE sequels, but I'll wait a little bit before posting the sequels. This is technically a 'next generation' story, with character that are almost ALL OC's. This is after the Battle of Hogwarts, but before Harry's kids start attending Hogwarts. On with the show!**

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**1 - Maunsel Street**

The man in a sports uniform walked quietly up the asphalt driveway. Removing his hat, he pulled his key from his pocket, unlocking the front door to number twelve, Maunsel Street. He kicked his black boots off onto the mat on the other side of the white door, and placed his hat on the bench to his left. He smiled to see his nine year old son running toward him.

"Mom, mom! Daddy's home!"  
A blonde woman peered around the corner of the living room, and smiled to see her husband hugging her youngest son. She stood from her chair, and called out to her other son, down the hall.  
"Asher! Dad is home!"

The door in the hall swung open, and an eleven year old boy ran from the room, past his mother, and down to meet up with his father. The family hugged together in the front room, celebrating the return of the father from his tournament. It had been nine months since they had seen him. The family loosened the grip on each-other, and returned to what they were doing. Asher happily ran back into his room, to sleep.

He dreamt vividly that night. It was one of those days, a good one. School had been out for a month, and he didn't need to worry about his horrible teacher; . He was probably the strictest teacher in all of the United Kingdom, and somehow he managed to get a job at Asher's school.

He also knew that he was spending the entire day at his friend Gabriel's house tomorrow, with his other friends; Luke and Martha. They were different than the other kids. Instead of playing sports, they preferred reading, or talking with each-other. It didn't matter to their parents, as long as they did well in school.

A buzzing filled Asher's bedroom the next morning, and he opened his tired eyes to see his alarm clock, flashing and buzzing. He hit the snooze button on the top, and rolled back over. Asher had no idea what day it was; all he knew is that it was some time in the summer.

He slumped out of bed, pressing his feet onto the cold hardwood floor, and stood up. The blood rushed away from his head, and he felt a little dizzy. He walked nonetheless, rubbing his brown eyes, attempting to wake himself up. He stumbled into the kitchen, opening the fridge.

Asher stood with the fridge door idling for a moment, until he moved with a quick motion to grab the milk. He turned and grabbed some cereal from the cupboards, pouring it out into a bowl, for breakfast.

When he finished, he retreated to his room, where his alarm was going off again. He pressed the button on the side, silencing it permanently, and sat in his computer chair, pressing the blue button, to turn it on.

He navigated into his e-mail inbox. Checking his e-mails; nothing new, a few notifications of his plans for later that summer. The first day he would actually go to the park down the street. Asher usually avoided the park because of the bullies that would be there; Clyde and Dylan. He hated them, because they would always taunt him about his changing hair colour.

Asher was different like that; his hair would change colours, and styles. It was odd, because it happens at random times; it always depended on his mood. He liked it though; he never needed to pay for hair cuts.

He looked in the mirror as he shut off the computer. Asher's hair was brown today, same as yesterday. Thankfully it hadn't decided to change overnight. He packed a backpack full of some old books and a few video games, and headed over to Gabriel's house, down the street.

It was a bright and sunny day, with few clouds. The street was lit up like it usually was, with the light reflecting off the countless cars on the street. Asher could see Gabriel's house clearly from his steps, and just passed it was the park.

Gabriel's parents waved at him when they opened the door, motioning him toward the stairs into the basement. Gabriel's room was in the basement, so a lot of the time spent at his house was down there, away from his annoying sister.

Martha was already waiting, and he heard noises coming from the washroom; Gabriel. Martha had shoulder length, curly dark brown hair, and blue eyes. She had the looks to be in with the popular people, but she chose to be friends with Asher instead. A few moments later, Luke showed up and Gabriel exited the bathroom. The four of them spent their usual day, being nerds while playing Pokemon. It was their favourite past-time.

Luke had short blond hair, and had glasses; the big chunky ones, that older people usually had. He had horrible vision without them, and usually wore clothes that were too small for him. Gabriel was the opposite. He had neck length light brown hair, and walked with a slight limp in his step. He was born with a slight ankle defect; he didn't have ankle joints. He got a surgery recently, and was able to walk now. You could pretty much say that Asher and his friends were the people nobody else wanted to be friends with.

After the long day of Pokemon playing in Gabe's basement, Asher returned home, and slumped down onto the cold leather couch. He ate dinner with his family; pasta and salad. "Asher, would you get the mail?" Asher's mom tapped him on the shoulder.

He pushed out from the dinner table and happily walked down to the font door, where he slid his worn-out shoes on, and walked out the door with the mail key. The red mail-box was on the end of the street, right by the park.

Asher slid the key into its slot, turning it to the left, and opening the box. There were a few letters inside. Asher pulled them out, and closed the box again. He looked up to his left, and saw them. It was Clyde and Dylan, and they were walking toward him.

Clyde was surprisingly muscular, for an eleven year old. He had average length, blonde hair, and bright green eyes. He always seemed to be walking with a swagger, or tormenting another kid. Dylan on the other hand was a scrawny kid that nobody liked much. He made friends with Clyde to avoid being bullied himself. They had a perfect tag-team. Clyde would do all the fighting, and Dylan more of the talking.

"Look who it is! It's Asher." Clyde shoved him, while Dylan took the mail from his hands.  
"Getting the mail, nerd?" Dylan looked through it, and stopped at a small letter. "Oh, look at this! This one is for you! How about this?" Dylan took both sides of the letter in one hand, and ripped the letter in two pieces.

Asher swung angrily at Dylan, hitting him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Clyde turned to swing at Asher, who raised his arms in defence. Clyde's arm bounced off Asher's while Clyde screamed.  
"What the heck was that? That hurt you little bugger!" Asher looked up at his arms, and they were the same as they always were.

Dylan stood up, and swung at Asher too, knocking him to the ground. Dylan may have been scrawny, but he was still strong. Asher angrily screamed at Dylan, who flew back, through the air. Asher looked at his hands, again. Nothing was different. He looked back up at Clyde and Dylan, who were running in the other direction.

Asher grabbed the rest of the mail off the ground, and returned home, dropping the pile of letters on the table, and then went to his room.

The next morning was the same as usual; boring and un-eventful. Asher checked the mail every day for a week, checking to see if maybe there would be anything else for him. There wasn't anything, so he gave up, flopping down into bed like every other day.

Two more weeks had passed, and summer vacation was nearing an end. Asher was going to the park with Gabe, Luke and Martha tomorrow, so he was finally looking forward to something. He layed down on the couch, and was just about to close his eyes.

"Asher. Mail is here, there's one for you." Asher shot up from the couch, and ran over to his dad, who was sifting through a pile of mail. He tore open the letter, not even bothering to read what it said on the other side.

* * *

Dear Mr. Wood,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July, 31.  
Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress

Requirement List

UNIFORM  
First-year students will require:  
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)  
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or something similar)  
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:  
The Slandered Book of Spells(Grade1)  
by Miranda Goshawk  
A history of Magic  
by Bathilda Bagshot  
Magical Theory  
by Adalbert Waffling  
A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration  
by Emeric Fungi  
One thousand magical herbs and fungi  
by Phyllida Spore  
Magical Drafts and Potions  
by Arsenius Jigger  
Fantastic Beast and where to Find Them  
by Newt Scamander  
The Dark Forces: A Guide of Self Protection  
by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set of crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set of brass scales

Student may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

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"Dad, look at this." Asher handed his letter to his dad, who looked at it very seriously. He looked back up at Asher after a moment of sifting through the letter. Asher's dad reached for the envelope; half ripped, but still on the counter.  
"Asher Wood, number twelve Maunsel Street, England." His dad looked at the sender, and looked back at his son, smiling.  
"Yup, it is. I've seen this letter before. Congratulations son! You're like your folks! You're a wizard too!" Asher smiled. His dad hugged him tighter than ever.

Asher's family was different than most. His parents didn't have normal jobs; because they weren't normal civilians. They were wizards. Asher's dad would always tell Asher that him and his brother weren't like the rest of Asher's friends. Asher's dad was sure Asher was a wizard his entire life; mostly because of his hair, but mostly because it was rare if he wasn't. It's not every day you come across someone with two magical parents that doesn't have magical abilities.

His dad never mentioned exactly which sport he played, only that it was a wizard sport, and it required a lot of travelling. None of Asher's family, other than his dad, would go on his trips, and he usually returned with medals, or trophies. His mom on the other hand, was a lot more than she seemed.

She was something called an '_auror_'; someone who catches evil witches and wizards. It was an important job, but she was off for a while, on vacation. It was a very important job, and she was always exhausted when she came home from work. Both of Asher's parents tried to keep the magical world hidden as much as possible from Asher and his brother, but there were things that slipped through. Asher was determined to be told everything; as long as it was magic related.

His father called out to his mother, who shuffled into the room quickly, looking at the father with concern.  
"Is everything okay?" Asher's father smiled and nodded, gesturing toward the letter.

Asher's mother ran up to Asher, hugging him tightly.  
"Oh I knew it! I knew you were like us the moment your hair changed. We didn't know how to tell you; so we didn't. We've been waiting for this letter for a while!" Asher stood, looking at his parents. His eyes flickered form parent to parent. He grinned.

Finally, he could milk the truth from his parents.

The next day he would tell all his friends. They would be happy for him, but it did mean one thing. He wouldn't be able to see his friends anymore at school if he was going to this school somewhere else. For all he knew, it could be across the world; or worse, the universe.

The next day, Asher woke up like every other day, but looked in the mirror with happiness. He saw an eleven year old face looking back at him, as usual. But something was different. It was no longer a face of boredom. He was looking at the face of a wizard. He proudly waltzed down thee hallway, and out the door.

He met up with his father, who pulled Asher off to the side of the driveway.  
"Okay, so before you go. There are a few rules. You can't tell anyone; unless they're also a witch or wizard. It's against wizard law, and could wind you up without a wand."

Asher looked at his dad in confusion.  
"Oh, a wand is what you use to cast magic. Your mother and I have been keeping ours hidden, so you two didn't accidently find it. Anyways, you cannot tell your friends. I know how much you want to, but you just can't." Asher was sad now, but his dad straightened his back, and sent him out to the park. "Have fun, and remember; nobody!"

He met up with Martha, who was waiting on the swings in the center of the park. He scanned the area; Clyde and Dylan were nowhere to be found; good. The two of them were on the swings for a little while before Luke and Gabe showed up.

"What's the matter?" Martha asked Asher curiously. She could tell that Asher wasn't feeling right.  
"Oh, I just found out something." Asher needed to think of a quick lie.  
"Oh! Found out what?" Martha was getting close to having Asher spill the beans, but something quickly flashed into Asher's head.  
"I won't be going to school with you guys this year." He tried to change the subject,  
"What's the date today?" Luke didn't buy in to the distraction, and continued asking. "What do you mean? Oh and it's the 26th, July. Why?"

"Well, my parents have finally found a doctor that can help me with my hair problem. But, he doesn't live close by. My parents need to stay for their jobs, so I'm going alone." It was a pretty convincing lie, considering Asher had only come up with it in a few seconds.

His friends sighed, and shrugged their shoulders.  
"I guess there isn't anything we can do about that." Martha continued swinging, and the day was long. The four of them didn't speak about anything that day. Asher returned home at six, in time for dinner with his family.

"So I told a lie today." Asher was eating his meatloaf. His dad looked over at him, "And why is that?" Asher took another bite of meatloaf.  
"To make my friends think I'm not of at a wizarding school. They think I'm at a doctor's for my hair problem." Asher mother nodded.

"Very convincing…" Asher laughed a bit.  
"That's what I thought when it came to me!" Asher's dad snapped back, and looked around furiously. He looked at Asher's mother, and dropped his cutlery.  
"What day is it today?" Asher's mother wiped her mouth with her napkin.  
"It's the 26th, why honey?"

"We need to get your things!" Asher's mom dropped her fork, and looked at Asher's dad. "Did you send out the owl?" His dad nodded.  
"Yes, I sent that out yesterday. Professor McGonagall was pleased to hear from me. We haven't seen each other since the last wizard war."

"Wait, dad. Can you tell me a little more about the wizard world? You might as well tell me everything, you've hidden it long enough." Asher's dad nodded, and gestured at Asher's younger brother to leave. Asher's brother stood, and left the table, and Asher's mom followed, leaving Asher and his dad alone in the dining room.  
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"So, where do I begin? Hogwarts. There were four famous witches and wizards who had the idea to open a school to teach magical children more about magic. They were Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Godric Gryffindor. They each had a house, where they taught students that fit their needs magic."

"So then, which house do you get put in?" Asher's dad laughed.  
"You see, I was getting there. There's this hat, called the Sorting Hat, who reads your mind, sort of, and places you in a house based on your attributes. I was placed in Gryffindor when I went there."

"So then, I'd be in Gryffindor?" Asher's dad laughed a bit.  
"There's no guarantee, but remember, all the houses are good. Just try not to be Slytherin. Nobody really likes them anyways. Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff is cool too. But a lot of people think it's great to be in Gryffindor because of Harry."

"Harry?" Asher's dad's expression changed, and he looked back at Asher. "Harry Potter; the boy who lived; and your mom's boss. There was this one really bad wizard, named Voldemort. He tried to kill Harry as a baby, but Harry survived. He was sorted into Gryffindor when I was in my fifth year there, and he was on the Quidditch team with me too. He was one hell of a seeker. Anyways, ten years ago, Harry and Voldemort battled it out, and Harry won."

"So he's like, a hero?" Asher's dad laughed.  
"Not like a hero. A hero. Your mother and I were at that battle. It was known as the battle of Hogwarts, and lots of wizards died. The entire wizarding world was safe again, once Voldemort had been done away with. There wasn't any chance of him coming back this time."

"This time?" Asher was a little worried now; all of this was frightening him slightly. "Oh, Voldemort had disappeared when he tried to kill harry in 1981, although in Harry's fourth year, he got another body and came back. Harry destroyed all the remaining parts of his soul, and then killed Voldemort. There's nothing left of him, so he died; for good."

"Okay, anything else?" His dad nodded.  
"Yes, I want you to do well in specific subjects, because they'll help you out much better than others. Transfiguration and Charms are handy, but pay attention to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Chances are something bad will happen at least once. Also, keep an eye out for Professor McGonagall; the headmistress. Write often, and come home for Christmas so we can talk about all of your experiences."

"Okay, how do I send my mail home?" Asher's dad stood up, and walked over to the counter in the kitchen.  
"I have it over here somewhere… Ah, here it is." He held out a piece of paper with an address on it. "Write to here, and I'll get it."  
"Dad, I meant, how do I get the mail back?" Asher's dad put his head inn his hand. "Gah, we'll need to buy you an owl tomorrow. Remind me again, okay?" Asher nodded, and his dad sat down at the table again. "It's been so long since I've been to… never mind"

"So dad, what is your job?" Hid dad laughed a bit. "Well, I'm what you call a Quidditch player. Quidditch is the main wizard sport, and thousands of people love it. Others don't but we all have our opinions. Unfortunately, my team replaced me last tournament. I'm going to need to find a new job."

"So what are you going to do?" Asher looked at his dad curiously. His dad shrugged his broad shoulders. "I don't know. I'll talk to Professor McGonagall, and see what I can do." His dad smiled, and shook his hand through Asher's hair. Asher's hair was all frizzy, but it flattened out and turned black. Asher's dad laughed, and then noogied Asher. Asher's dad released Asher from his grip, and the two of them leaned back into their chairs.

"You and your hair." Asher's dad managed a muffled laugh, and Asher looked at him, with another question. "Why is my hair like this, anyways?" His dad leaned back further, and sighed. "Well, I don't know why exactly, but I can tell you a little more about it."

"It's called metamorphmagi. Pretty much, you have a gene that allows you to alter your physical appearance at will. It'll take a bit of practice, but I'm sure you'll get used to it. Your attitude is also a factor, if you're sad or angry, you might not be able to control it quite as well."

"How do you know all this? I thought you said you were just a Quidditch player?" His dad laughed a bit more. "I have my connections. Mainly Harry, we're close. As for the info on metamorphmagi, I had a brief encounter with one before she died; in the war. I looked after her son a little, at Harry's request. He's his godfather."

Asher sat in silence for a second. Everyone his dad had mentioned was either hiding, legendary, or dead. "As for Quidditch; you'll learn it soon enough. I'm sure Madam Hooch will take a liking to you; she did to me. It's fun, I suggest you try it next year."

Asher smiled; it was re-assuring knowing a few of his teachers would go a little easier on him. After all, his parents hid his wizard bloodlines for his entire life; he had no idea what most of anything was. He looked back up, and into his dad's brown eyes.

"So that's it? Is that all I need to know?" Asher's dad shook hit head.  
"No, I suggest making friends with people you know you can trust. If you have any doubts, end the friendship. Something bad will probably happen if you don't." Asher nodded.

"Well anyways, I think it's about time you get to bed. We're going to get you're things tomorrow. Be excited! You're a wizard!" Asher walked off into bed, and went to sleep. Everything in Asher's life up to this point didn't matter. It was all about to change. Asher's dad still sat in the dining room.

He walked over to the cabinet, and pulled out a broom. He looked at the broom carefully, and then snapped it in half. From inside, he pulled out a thin, piece of wood. He held it in his hand, and waved it. Things in the kitchen flew around, and he laughed.

He grabbed the phone from the counter, and dialled. He placed the phone to his ear, still moving things with magic, through the wand.

"Hello? Minerva? I was just wondering if there were any job openings in Hogwarts." Asher's dad sat for a moment, and then cheered when he heard the response. "Any chance I can get the spot?"

He sat for a moment, and then grinned widely at the response. "Thank you so much Minerva! I'll be there!" He hung up the phone and sat for a moment. He looked around the room, then back at the phone. He picked it up again, and called one of his old friends.

"Hello, Angelina? It's Oliver. I got a job at Hogwarts."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: And we're onto more! As mentioned before, all these characters are OCs (except the ones like Hermione who are cameos from the original, obviously). Lemme know what you think!**

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**2 - Diagon Alley**

Asher's Dad, mom and brother packed into their car the next morning. Asher looked back at his house, and smiled. It was going to be one of the last times he sees that house all year. His dad honked the horn at him, so he climbed into the back of their Honda Odyssey.

The family drove down the street, and across the city, to a worn down pub on the side of the road. Asher's dad told everyone to leave the vehicle, so they did. "This is the place." Asher's dad gestured toward the pub. A rusted old sign hung from the side that read _The Leaky Cauldron_. It looked like they were the only ones that could see it, because every single person on the streets was walking right past it, like it didn't exist.

Asher eyed a man staring out the window at him; he was old looking, with a short beard, and weary eyes. His gaze followed Asher all the way to the door, where he turned, and left Asher alone. Asher returned to the side of his father and the four of them walked into the pub.

There were no lights, and everyone in the room looked at them when they entered. There were poorly washed women, scary men, and a few moving objects; brooms and buckets. The staring didn't last long, and the strangers turned and continued what they were doing. Asher's dad walked up to a hunchbacked man behind the counter dead ahead. He tapped the man on the shoulder, and he turned around to reveal an even uglier face. The man recognized him and smiled.

He turned from the counter, and lead the entire family to a rotting door in the back of the pub. "Alright, thanks Tom." Asher's dad gestured the hunchbacked man away, and the family exited through the door; into a small area. It was a dead end, and there was nothing but a brick wall in front of them. Asher's dad walked up to the wall, and pulled out his wand.

He placed the tip of his wand on the wall, and the bricks instantly began parting; moving away from the center, creating an opening into a large, bustling street. It was full of people in cloaks, and lots of children. Everyone was carrying large handfuls of supplies from the stores lining both sides of the street.

"Dad, where are we?" Asher's younger brother Griffin asked, with a tone of curiosity. "This, is Diagon Alley." There were shops on both sides of the street, and a large. Stone building at the middle of the street, though the rest turned off and was hidden by buildings. "Come on, I'll show you all around. See the big building down there?"

He gestured toward the large stone building at the middle of the street. "Yeah." Asher responded. "That's where we go first. It's the wizard bank, Gringotts." The family strolled down Diagon Alley, avoiding running children and quick-paced walkers, and under the stone mantle at the front of the bank.

The bank was filled with little things. "Dad, what **are** those?" His dad laughed a bit, being stared down by the tiny munchkins. "Those are goblins. They're smart, but not quite so friendly." The goblins staring at him frowned, and continued working. "Gringotts was almost destroyed when Harry tried to destroy a piece of Voldemort that was stored here. He told me it was a hassle." Asher nodded, learning a bit more about Harry as the week went on.

Asher's family walked up to a short, cross-looking goblin, which looked down on them with angry eyes. Asher's dad held up a key, with a bronze handle that shimmered in the faint light coming from the entrance. The goblin hopped from his stool, and gestured the family toward the corridors behind the desk.

Asher's dad motioned at Griffin and Asher's mom to stay back, so they waited at the entrance of the corridors. The goblin, Griphook, lead Asher and his dad down the dark stone corridors and up to a large cart on what appeared to be a railroad track.

"Come on now, into the trolley." The little goblin spoke with a harsh voice, which startled Asher a bit. The cart, once everyone was on it, began moving its way down the railway, and stopped at a large door, a few minutes later. "Here we are."

Griphook held out his hand, and Asher's dad handed him the key. The goblin opened the vault, revealing a decent amount of gold, silver and bronze coins. "Well, this is what we've got!" Asher's dad motioned toward the piles of money inside the vault.

"Whoa." Asher was stunned. Where did his dad get all this money? Asher's dad pulled out a backpack, and began filing it with coins of various values. "This, is how we pay for your things. I'll give you a fair bit when we send you off, but for now, this is all we should need." He had put a few gold coins, and quite a bit of bronze ones, into the backpack, and motioned at Asher to leave the vault. Griphook closed the vault behind them, and the three of them rode back up to the main room on the cart.

Re-uniting with their family, Asher and his dad left the building. Asher's dad pulled out the list of things Asher would need, and looked at it. "I think we should start with the books. We're going to need to go to Flourish and Blotts.

The four family members made their way back up three stores, and into a large store on their left. It was packed with people, young and old, and every shelf was filled with different clothing. A whole section was singled out for Hogwarts textbooks. The family made their way over to it, but were stopped by a woman, who looked a little younger than Asher's mom, but not by much.

"Oliver?" Asher's dad turned around, and waved at the woman, who walked over to meet up with the family. "Oh my god, it is you!" Asher's dad and the witch hugged. "It's been so long! How is your kid?" The witch smiled, "She's fine. Ron is with her at home right now, I came in to buy some books for some light reading." It didn't look like light reading, because she was carrying three large textbooks.

The witch looked at Asher, Griffin and Asher's mom. "Oh! You three much be Asher, Griffin and Lisa! My name's Hermione. Nice to meet you." Asher shook hands with the witch, who also hugged Asher's mom. "You're dad and I were both in Gryffindor when we went to Hogwarts. He was the Quidditch captain, for three years."

Asher's dad blushed. "Oh stop, Hermione you're embarrassing me." The two of them laughed, and the witch looked back at Asher and Griffin. "So, Asher. Excited to be going to Hogwarts?" Asher nodded, and Hermione laughed a bit. "Griffin, how many more years for you?" Griffin smiled, and responded. "Two."

Asher's dad patted Griffin on the head, "Well, we're pretty sure you're good. We might need to get a new house, here in the wizarding world." Hermione looked over at Asher's dad. "So, you don't live here anymore?" Asher's dad shook his head. "Nope, we've been in the muggle world for about eight years. I don't know why we went, but we did. I hate the jobs there."

"So what are you going to do?" Hermione looked at Asher's dad curiously. "Well, I called McGonagall yesterday, and she offered me a job at Hogwarts. I just need to get back at her on which position I want." Hermione hugged him again. "That's great! Got any ideas?" Asher's dad shook his head again.

"Absolutely none. I was thinking Flying Instructor, because Madam Hooch is retiring, or Transfiguration. They already had someone for Defence Against the Dark Arts, so that wasn't an option." Hermione nodded. "Flying Instructor would be good for you." She smiled. "Oh no, look at the time! I'd better pay for these, Ron and Rose probably need me back at home!" Hermione left the family, and they continued shopping.

"Asher, I think we've got them all here," Asher's dad was carrying a large pile of books that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Asher mumbled to himself; "I love magic." The family paid for the books, using some of the money from the bank vault. They then made their way over to Madam Maulkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Oliver Wood." Asher's dad turned around, and smiled. He was looking eye to eye with another one of his old friends. "George Weasley." A ginger man walked over to the family this time. "Oh, let's retreat into here," George led the family into Madam Maulkin's, where a woman grabbed Asher to measure for robe sizes.

"Go on Asher, it'll be alright." Asher's dad gestured for him to go with the woman. Much to his dislike, Asher left with the woman, and George talked with the rest of the family.

Asher couldn't hear the conversation between his dad and George, as he was in another room with Madam Maulkin. "So, first year at Hogwarts?" Asher, still dis-obedient, nodded and she laughed. "It's okay. You'll see them lots." Asher was released from Madam Maulkin's tape measure and she left to grab some robes. Asher sat down on the wooden bench waiting for her to return.

"Here you go, I made these yesterday." Madam Maulkin handed Asher some robes, and Asher returned to his family, gesturing at his dad to pay Madam Maulkin for the robes. Asher was disappointed because George was gone already, but Asher's dad paid Madam Maulkin and the four of them left the shop.

"Oliver, I'll take Asher to get his wand, you take Griffin and get the other supplies, okay?" Asher's mom grabbed Asher's arm, and Asher's dad nodded. The four of them split up, Asher and his mom, Lisa heading toward Ollivander's Wand shop.

Asher's mom pushed open the door, and the two of them walked in. The shop was relatively empty, but a boy, looking in his mid-teens swung in on a ladder. "Hello! How may I help you?" Asher and his mom walked over to the counter, and asked for a wand. "It's his first year." Asher's mom smiled deeply, and the boy stepped off the ladder.

"Well, I think my uncle mentioned something about new arrivals, imported of course, getting here yesterday. I'll go get him, just a moment please." The boy ran off into the back of the shop, and Asher and his mom were left standing alone at the front.

A few seconds later, an elderly man walked into the room, and smiled when he saw Asher's mom. "Ah, Lisa. I remember you're wand. Ten inches, vine with a unicorn hair core, correct?" Asher's mom laughed a bit. "Well, I guess you **do** remember."

"Let's see, a wand for your son? Maybe a wand like yours?" The man grabbed a box off of a large pile of other boxes, opened it, and held it out to Asher. Asher grabbed the wand on the inside, and stood with it. "Well, give it a wave!"

Asher waved the wand, and a shelf fell, knocking boxes of wands all over the floor of the shop. "Okay, maybe not. Perhaps, similar to your father?" He reached out to grab another wand. Asher waved this one, and a flower pot sitting on the man's desk shattered, dropping soil, and a plant onto the floor. "Nope, I guess not."

The man returned with another wand, and handed it to Asher. "I believe, this will work." Asher waved the wand, a warm breeze came in from every opening in the building. "Ah, there we are!" Asher looked down at the wand. It was red, with a jet black handle, looking almost like a stair post. "What's it made of?"

"Ah, let's see." The man looked at the wand one more. "Ash, manticore tail spike. Eleven inches. I believe it is one of the wands recovered from Gregorovich after his demise." Asher looked down at the wand. It fit perfectly in his hand, and he liked the way it looked. "It's been painted of course, Gregorovich was known for doing that to wands sometimes. Ash, of course, isn't red."

It didn't matter to Asher, his wand was cool. He liked it, and pocketed it. Asher's mom walked him up to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron, where Asher's dad and Griffin had just finished buying his things. His dad was only carrying a small bag, with what looked like a large, 'A' on it. His dad handed the bag to Asher.

"There you go! It's got everything in it. I used an undetectable extension charm. It is carrying all your things, so don't lose it. Oh, and I got an owl, it'll be sent to your Hogwarts dormitory; just make sure you send me a letter with your house mentioned through one of the school owls." Asher smiled, he was going to like Hogwarts.

The family walked back into the Leaky Cauldron together, laughing about how great a year it was going to be. Asher still remembered his wand; ash with manticore tail spike. What the heck was a manticore? Did it matter? Of course not, Asher was a wizard.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Introducing... more OCs! Review! Let me know your thought process!**

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**3 -All Aboard!**

The ride home was quiet, but very meaningful. All Asher could think about was how emotional the whole journey was going to be. Asher was going to be leaving his entire life, to go somewhere he only just learned about. Asher hid his face and cried a little.

A week later was the day; the day Asher had to tell his friends goodbye, and leave for Hogwarts. Asher left his house, and down the street to the park. There, he met up with Luke and Gabe, who were waiting on the biggest play structure in the park.

"Where's Martha?" Asher looked around, and she was nowhere to be seen. "She's coming. She called me before I left, so she should be here soon." Gabe was right, because Martha showed up seconds later, holding a box wrapped in green wrapping with a blue bow.

"I got you something, from all of us." She handed the present to Asher, who reluctantly accepted it. "What is it?" Asher asked as he untied the bow on the greatly wrapped box. "You'll see."

After removing the bow, Asher ripped the wrapping paper off, and opened the box. Inside, was a necklace, with four coloured beads. A red, green, blue and yellow. "It represents us. Gabe is green, I'm yellow, Luke is red, and you're blue." Martha pointed at each bead as she said each name.

"I love it. I'll never take it off." Asher felt a single tear fall down his cheek as he said the words, and tied the leather rope around his neck, double knotting it in the back. The rest of the day consisted of re-living their favourite memories.

"Asher! It's time to go!" Asher's dad called down the street, and Asher felt a punch in the gut. It was time to say goodbye, and he didn't want to. "I'll try visiting often, you guys." The four of them hugged, and said their farewells. Asher walked backward back to his house, waving to his three friends every second of the way.

Asher grabbed his bag, with everything in it, and slung it over his shoulder. He waved one final time, then entered the vehicle, en route for King's Cross Station. Asher spent the entire drive holding the end of his necklace, with the beads, in his hand. He remembered how he met his friends, and what the first said.

"We're here." Asher looked up, and his dad and hi had already stopped at the station. Asher's dad parked the car, and the two of them walked up to the front of the station. "Well, I'll bring you in to the train, but I'm going to have to leave you then. I've got to get there a different way, and sooner. Alright?" Asher nodded, even though he didn't mean it. He didn't want to leave his dad, onto a train full of strangers.

Asher's dad walked into the station and Asher followed. The two of them walked to the other end of the station, passing lots of people rushing to find the right train, and stopped at a wall in between stations 'nine' and 'ten'.

"Well, here we go. See this wall?" Asher's dad patted on the wall when he spoke, and Asher nodded. "Walk at it, from a distance of course. It's how we'll get onto the platform." Asher's dad smiled reassuringly, and Asher backed up.

He walked quickly toward the wall, and neared it with every step. Asher shut his eyes tight, and expected and impact. There was none, and Asher opened his eyes to see a large, red train in front of him, and lots of people shuffling; moving luggage.

Asher's dad showed up behind him, and the two walked toward the boarding area. "This is where I'll leave you. I'll see you at Hogwarts, but for now… Go on the train, make some friends, and I'll see you tonight. Don't worry." Asher's dad smiled again.

Asher hugged his dad tight, and his dad hugged back. "I don't want to be alone." Asher mumbled into his dad's shirt. Asher's dad watched as Asher's hair changed from brown to black. His smile faded slightly, and he hugged his son tighter.

"I'll see you in a few hours. _I promise._" Asher and his dad separated, and Asher boarded the train. A few people looked at him; they had seen his hair change. Asher moved through three train carts, passed people of all ages, and eventually reached an empty cart, where he sat down, and layed back.

The train began moving, and almost instantly someone was standing at the door to the cart. "Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full." Asher looked up at the person, and nodded. She had black hair, tied up in a neat bun, with two sticks skewering it in place.

"My name is Valerie, and it's my first year here, you?" Asher looked over at the girl, as she sat down on the cushions across from him. "My name's Asher, and same." The two smiled, but were interrupted by another person at the door.

"I've got nowhere to sit, do you mind?" This boy had longer, silver hair, and Valerie smiled deeply when she saw him. "Nope," Asher patted the cushion beside him, and the boy sat down. "So what's you're name?" Valerie asked the boy, and he smiled.

"It's Sean, Sean Faulkner. You two?" Asher and Valerie introduced themselves, and Sean smiled. "It's reassuring meeting two other first years so soon, isn't it?" Sean laughed, and the other two laughed along. The three of them sat, waiting for a few seconds; though none of them knew for what.

"Anything off the trolley?" An old woman had appeared in the doorway, and she had a cart full of candy with her. "Oh! I'll take three chocolate frogs, and three liquorice wands." The woman grabbed the candy, and then grabbed some money from his pocket and paid the woman. She walked away with the cart, down the train.

"Here you go," Sean handed Asher and Valerie each a liquorice wand and a Chocolate frog. "They say that you're first chocolate frog's witch or wizard card shows the person that with most greatly influence your life, you know." Sean bit down on his liquorice wand and Valerie and Asher were looking down at the chocolate frogs.

"So, we eat the frog?" Sean laughed at Asher, and then looked up and noticed he was serious. "No, it's just a spell. Wait, are you muggle-born?" Asher shook his head. "What? You're sure?" Asher nodded.

"Both my parent's are magical, but they've been hiding it from my brother and I for a while. My dad worked in the military for three years, but he just got a job at Hogwarts." Asher trailed off, and Valerie looked at him. "At Hogwarts? What position?"

"He didn't say. What about you two?" Sean had just finished his liquorice wand, and he raised his hand to speak. "Both my parents are magical. I've grown up knowing so much about magic it's barely funny." The three of them laughed, then Valerie looked over at Asher.

"My mom is a witch, and my dad is a muggle. She loves muggles, and always tries getting close to them. It's been fun living like a muggle all my life." She smiled, and Sean pretended to gag. She hit him, and the three of them all laughed.

"What's a muggle?" Asher asked Sean and Valerie, who looked at each other, then back to him. "A muggle is someone who doesn't have magical powers." Asher laughed a bit, "So really, everyone else?" The three of them laughed shortly, and then continued their earlier conversation.

"So who did you two get in your Famous Witch or Wizard Cards?" Asher looked over at his chocolate frog; it was unopened. Asher grabbed it and opened it, with some struggle. A brown frog happily jumped from the container, and into the air. Asher caught it, and then let it go, looking down at his card. Asher read the name under an image of a woman.

"Hey! I know this woman! I met her in Diagon Alley! 'Hermione Granger. For aiding Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in their attempt to destroy the Horcruxes and the subsequent defeat of Voldemort. Also, for eradicating pro-pureblood laws at the Ministry of Magic and campaigning for the rights of non-human beings such as house-elves'. Wicked."

Valerie looked down at her card. "I have 'Gwenog Jones. Captain and Beater of the all-female national Quidditch team, the Hollyhead Harpies'. That's interesting."

The train began slowing down, and the three first-years all beamed excitedly. The door to their compartment was clicked open, and a tall blonde boy poked his head in.

"Just a reminder to be in your unifo- Hey! Valerie!" He stepped completely into view, showing off his blue and bronze tie, and black sweeping robes. "Hi Chase." Valerie mumbled.

"Oh, come on little sis, you've got to be happy to see me. And be excited! You're going to Hogwarts!" Chase laughed, ruffling his sister's hair. She scowled.  
"Asher, Sean, this is my brother Chase. He's a sixth-year Ravenclaw prefect, and a Chaser on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team."

Asher and Sean shook Chase's outstretched hand with smiles.  
"Any hopes for your houses?" Chase asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the compartment's door frame.  
"My parents were both in Gryffindor, so I think that would be nice." Sean answered, grabbing his chocolate frog from the cushion beside him.  
"My dad said he was in Gryffindor, but I don't really know much about any of the houses. He said not Slytherin though."

"Nobody likes Slytherins much anyways," Chase laughed, "And we'll be arriving soon, be sure to get your uniforms on."

Chase turned and left the compartment, leaving the three friends to get ready for the arrival at Hogwarts.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: For the record, the Sorting Hat's song in this chapter is from one of the books. I didn't write it.**

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**4 - The Sorting**

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Thas' righ' now. Follow me! Firs' years!"

Sean, Valerie and Asher made their way over to the large man in the brown coat. He was holding a lantern against the black sky, and was easily spottable.  
"That's Hagrid, the gameskeeper." Sean whispered in Asher's ear. "He's known to have a pretty good relationship with Harry Potter himself."

The group of first years followed Hagrid to the edge of a large lake, and Asher noticeably paled.  
"What's wrong, Asher?" Valerie asked, nudging him with her elbow.  
"Oh, it's nothing. There aren't any fish in the lake, are there? They terrify me."  
"Sorry, but there's more than fish. I hear there's merpeople and a giant squid in there." Sean laughed, pretending to push Asher in the water. Asher gulped.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid bellowed over the crowd of children, and the students slowly began to climb into the small wooden dingies lining the shore.  
Valerie and Sean were in one boat together with two other students, one with short brown hair and a book clasped tightly to his chest, and another who was slightly more muscular with very short sandy brown hair.  
Asher was herded into a boat with two girls and a boy. One girl had shoulder-length dark brown hair, and was smiling ear-to-ear. The other had freckles covering her face and neck-length blond hair. The boy appeared to be smirking, eyeing the other boats with disinterest. He had very thin, short black hair.

"Hello, I'm Elizabeth, but you can call me Liz." The girl with dark brown hair spoke up, in a foreign accent, her hand shooting out to meet Asher's in a firm handshake. The black-haired boy scoffed.  
"I'm Asher. It's nice to meet you. I can't help but notice your accent, you aren't British, are you?"  
She smiled, "Nope. I used to live in America with my dad. He recently married a witch from around here, and we moved over the summer. This place is extraordinary." She gasped, looking up at the large castle on the other side of the lake.

The boats pulled up on the shore, and Asher ran to catch up with Sean and Valerie, who were already beginning the trek up to the castle.  
"Hey, how was your boat-ride?" Asher asked, running up beside Sean.  
"It was pretty good. Thad, the one with the book, only told us his name, but Flint, the muscular one, wouldn't stop talking. They were both really nice though. Thad was reading 'Hogwarts, A History'. He seems pretty into it." Valerie grinned.  
"Maybe he's muggle-born?" Sean offered up, gesturing to Thad, who was at the back of the group, looking around.

"I met a girl named Elizabeth, she was the only one who talked to me on my boat." Asher mumbled, as he pointed to the excited girl who was skipping up the pathway.

The group of students stopped in front of a large oak door, and Hagrid knocked three times. The doors swung open, revealing the very familiar figure of Asher's dad.  
"The firs' years, Professor Wood." Hagrid gestured to the group of students, and Asher's dad scanned the crowd and caught Asher's eye. He winked.  
"Thanks Hagrid, I'll take it from here. Good to see you again."

Hagrid left the group, and Asher's dad turned slightly, gesturing to the inside of the castle.  
"Welcome to Hogwarts. The beginning-of-the-year feast will be starting soon, and we need to get you all sorted. My name is Professor Oliver Wood, and I will be your Transfiguration teacher."  
Asher nudged Valerie and Sean. "That's my dad." The two of them looked between Asher and his dad, smiling.

"Now, I will lead you into the Great Hall, where the feast will take place. But before we can start the feast, we'll need to sort you into your houses. While at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family. You will live together in a dormitory, and will compete against each other for points. Doing things well, will earn you points, and rule-breaking will lose you points.  
The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Each house has a noble history, and you should be happy with the Sorting Hat's decision. The hat's decision is final, and it always has reasons for putting you where you go.  
The house with the most points at the end of the year wins the House Cup, a great honour. I hope all of you put forth an honest effort to win points for your houses.  
I will bring you into the Great Hall momentarily, so I suggest you take a few moments to make yourselves look nice. It'll be in front of the entire school. Good luck."

Valerie turned to Asher and Sean. "Oh my gosh, I'm totally unprepared! What is Chase and his friends laugh at me?" She began to fan herself with her hand, Sean and Asher laughed.  
"Relax, you heard Asher's dad, everything is going to be fine."

"Alright kids, get ready." Asher's dad placed his hands on the large doors, and looked over his shoulder. Each of the students looked back at him with beady eyes. He stifled a laugh, and pushed the doors open.

Professor Wood lead the large group of first years down the aisle in the centre of the room towards a large wooden table. On either side of the aisle were two large table, stretching as long as the room, with students eagerly watching them.  
The ceiling was littered with floating candles, and Asher remembered what his dad had told him; _'It's bewitched to look like the night sky, the candles are a spell'. _

The group stopped in front a stool at the front of the room, in front of the table full of teachers. Professor Wood nodded toward the woman sitting at the centre of the table, and she passed him a large scroll.

On the stool sat and old ratty hat. It had been patched up so many times, and was extremely worn out. As soon as Professor Wood stood back, it bent backward and began to sing.

_A thousand years or more ago  
When I was newly sewn,  
There lived four wizards of renown,  
Whose names are still well known:_

Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,  
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,  
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,  
Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.

They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,  
They hatched a daring plan  
To educate young sorcerers  
Thus Hogwarts School began.

Now each of these four founders  
Formed their own house, for each  
Did value different virtues  
In the ones they had to teach.

By Gryffindor, the bravest were  
Prized far beyond the rest;  
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest  
Would always be the best;

For Hufflepuff, hard workers were  
Most worthy of admission;  
And power-hungry Slytherin  
Loved those of great ambition.

While still alive they did divide  
Their favourites from the throng,  
Yet how to pick the worthy ones  
When they were dead and gone?

Twas Gryffindor who found the way,  
He whipped me off his head  
The founders put some brains in me  
So I could choose instead!

Now slip me snug about your ears,  
I've never yet been wrong,  
I'll have a look inside your mind  
And tell where you belong!

The room broke out into applause, and Asher's dad cleared his throat, unrolling the parchment.  
"Archam, Lily."

And so it begins.

The girl stepped up to the stool, and sat. Asher's dad placed the hat on her head, and after a moment… "HUFFLEPUFF!"  
A table on the far left of the room, presumably the Hufflepuff table, began to cheer, and Asher's dad gestured the girl over to them.

A few more people were sorted, into each of the houses. The quiet girl from Asher's boat was sorted into Gryffindor, and he kept in mind her name; Janet.  
"Baxter, Valerie."

Valerie stepped forward, and the hat was placed on her head. After a long, bated silence, the hat shouted; "SLYTHERIN!"

Valerie chanced a look into the crowd to see her brother, who was only smiling and giving her a 'thumbs-up'. She stepped down and made her way to the Slytherin table.  
"Jenkins, Thad."

Thad stepped up, still grasping his copy of 'Hogwarts, A History', and sat down on the stool. "RAVENCLAW!" The hat shouted, and a look of relief swept over his features.

A large group of names were called, and the Sean was up. "RAVENCLAW!" was bellowed at the top of the hat's 'lungs' and Sean made his way to sit beside Thad at the Ravenclaw table.

The rest of the students were sorted, so that only Asher and the muscular boy, Flint, were left. Asher silently cursed his last name, being so late in the alphabet.

"Wilson, Flint."  
He stepped forward, leaving Asher behind as the only student left, and sat down on the stool. The hat was barely on his head, before it shouted; "GRYFFINDOR!"

After Flint stepped down, Asher's dad grinned wildly, and some of the other teacher gave them both knowing looks.  
"Wood, Asher."

With every eye in the room watching him, Asher went to sit on the stool, secretly hoping to be with one of the friends he had made. When the hat touched his head, all other noises were blocked out, and all Asher could hear was the hat speaking.

"Ah, much potential. Loyal, honest, persistent, intelligent. All fine qualities, but where to put you… I know," Finally, bellowing out it's last word, the hat shouted to the entire hall; "RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaw table burst into applause, and Asher's dad was silently clapping beside him. Asher stood, and made his way over to sit across from Sean.  
Professor Wood made his way behind the table, and sat down beside Hagrid at the end of the table.

The woman at the center of the table stood, and tapped her spoon to her glass before addressing the students.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I'd like to say a few words. First, a word of acknowledgement to our first years, and good tidings for the year. I would like to mention that our gameskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid has informed me of an infestation at the Quidditch pitch, and as such, it will be closed until further notice."  
The hall echoed with loud 'boos', but the woman tapped her glass with her spoon again.  
"I'd also like to take this time to welcome our new Transfiguration teacher, Oliver Wood, who had kindly agreed into introducing the first years." She paused, as Asher's dad stood and waved at the students, who clapped for him. "He will also be the new Gryffindor head of house, and as such, will be coaching their Quidditch team."

Sean kicked Asher under the table, "Tough luck, looks like your dad is supporting 'the enemy'." He laughed, and Thad looked up from his book.  
"They aren't all bad, you know." He mumbled, and Sean looked over to him.  
"Oh, don't tell me Thad here has a crush already! Who is she, point her out to me!" Sean nudged Thad's elbow, and he seemed to have gotten the attention of the other first years at their table, as two of them joined in.

"Oh dear Thaddy-kins. We've been your best friends for years, you should've told us!" A blond boy, who Asher briefly remembered his name to be Levi, spoke up. The curly-black haired boy opposite to him, Julian, spoke up too. "Yeah, is it that Allison girl? She wasn't too heavy on the eyes."

"Oh can it you two. And it's not a crush. I'm eleven, which means I'm too young to be thinking those kinds of things."

The group of them took their attention off the blushing Thad to look back up at the Headmistress.  
"I would also like to say that the girl's bathroom on the second floor, as usual, is off limits to all students. That is all. Please, enjoy your feast."

The large dishes in front of them suddenly had food appear on them, and Asher's eyes went wide. Everything looked so delicious, and Asher was fighting back the urge to eat everything in sight.

Clearly Sean, Julian and Levi had other plans, as they were quickly grabbing all the food in sight. Thad grabbed for a small piece of bread, and continued to read.

Soon enough, Chase was herding the first year Ravenclaw students down a corridor toward a large room filled with stairs. Asher glance up, and noticed that some of the staircases were moving about the different floors.  
"Keep and arm on the stair-cases, they like to change. Ravenclaws, keep up."

Sean and Asher were at the back of the group, following behind a small group of boys. Asher tried to remember their names, as he would now be rooming with them for the next seven years.

There was Levi and Julian at the front of the pack, laughing and bugging Thad, who was still trying to read his book as he followed closely behind Chase. Behind them were two boys; Noah, a tanned boy with sandy brown hair and blue eyes, and Logan, a scrawny boy with bushy black hair and glasses. Behind them were Elizabeth, still smiling ear-to-ear, and two other girls, both blond, Julia an Alexis.

Chase led them, followed closely by the group of Gryffindor first-years and their prefect, to a fork-in-the-road, and on either side were two spiralling towers.  
"The left tower is Gryffindor tower, and the right would be us, Ravenclaw."

Thad stood waiting at the bottom of the tower, as each of the Ravenclaw first-years began climbing the steps. Asher checked back when he climbed the first few steps, to see him watching the group of Gryffindors go toward the other tower, still clutching his book.  
Asher sent him a knowing smile, and he blushed, running past him and up the Ravenclaw tower.

At the top of the spiralling stairs, Chase stood waiting with the other first-years in front of a large door. Chase tapped the knocker on the door, and it spoke.

_"__A murderer is condemned to death. He has a choice of three rooms – one is filled with a raging fire, one is filled with armed assassins and the third is filled with lions that haven't eaten in three years. Which is the safest for him?"_

"To get into the Ravenclaw common room, you need to answer a question. It'll change every so often, so it'll be a challenge sometimes. Anybody want to answer?"

"The room with the lions." Thad replied instantly, "they'd be dead if they didn't eat in three years." And the door swung open. The first years looked at Thad briefly before entering the room.

It was huge.

There were dark blue carpets and drapery in the room, covering the stone floors and large arched windows. To the right there was a fireplace, surrounded by a circle of couches and chairs, and straight ahead there was a group of table surrounding a large blackboard. To the left was another set of stairs, seemingly leading to the dormitories.

"This way," Chase motioned for the first years to follow him up the stairs. The first door they encountered had a large roman numeral of 'one' on it, and Chase smiled.  
"This is you. In this door to the right is the boy's dorm, and same with the girls on your left. Further down the hall," He gestured to the walkway past the door, "Are the other years. If you need anything and I'm not in the main room, check my dorm, number six. Otherwise I'm somewhere in the castle. Don't be afraid to ask anybody here, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to help."

Just then, a group of older student began walking up the stairs. They waved at the first years, and sent Chase a look. The short-brown-haired boy at the front of the group walked up to Chase and hugged him, placing a chaste kiss to his lips.  
"It's good to see you again, Chase." The boy grinned, blissfully ignorant of the first years watching their every move.  
"Hmm, likewise Damon." Chase glanced at the first years. "Oh! Guys, this is Damon; my boyfriend and captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He plays Keeper."

Damon waved at them, and they all waved back. He turned back to Chase.  
"I'll be waiting in the dorm, don't be up too long." He spoke, before placing one last kiss on his lips and walking down the corridor and into another room.

"Have a good night guys." Chase stated, before blushing and turning to walk toward his dorm. Levi and Julian sent each other looks, and the group of first-years entered their dorms.

Once inside, Levi spoke up.  
"We have class tomorrow, don't we?"


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: As hard as I try, I won't be perfect. So please! Tell me what I can do to improve!**

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**5 - The First Week**

"Are you sure it's this way?" Asher asked, running up to Sean, who had led him down a long corridor filled with suits of armour.  
"Oh, quiet. I know where I'm going."

The two first years turned one last corner and began heading toward a large door at the end of the corridor, where Sean pushed the door open.  
Instantly they were met with a dozen pairs of eyes, all belonging to sixth-year students.  
"I told you we were going the wrong way." Asher leaned in and mumbled into Sean's ear, who looked sheepish and was blushing.

At the back of the room, Chase stood up and jogged over to them.  
"Are you guys lost? Do you need my help finding your class?"  
Quietly, Asher and Sean nodded, and Chase turned around, giving a look to the teacher, Professor Flitwick, before escorting the two boys from the room.

"So, what class do you guys have?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.  
"Erm, we have History of Magic. I knew it was on this floor…" Sean started, and Chase perked up.  
"Oh, well you were close. See that door down there, by the big mirror?" Chase pointed down the corridor, to a large door beside a mirror. "That's the hospital wing. To the left of that there's a corridor. At the end of that is your class. Have fun." Chase smiled, and the two first-years began making their way to the mirror.

Sure enough, to the left of the mirror was a corridor, which the two went down, and entered the door at the end to meet the gazes of fellow first-year Ravenclaws.  
"I was worried you two had gotten lost for a second there." Liz spoke up, waving at the two of them from the other side of the room. Sean and Asher made their way over, sitting on both sides of her.

"I heard that Professor Binns, the teacher for this class, is really boring. He can't be that bad, can he?" She asked, flicking her quill toward the direction of a ghost at the front of the class.  
"I heard that he died while he worked here, but he was so in the rut of his day that he didn't even notice." Sean said, triggering laughter from Liz and Asher.

The class, as expected, was incredibly boring. The professor droned on for the period, and nearly every student was falling asleep. The only two that weren't were Thad and Liz. Thad spent the entire lesson taking notes, and Liz was too busy doodling on her paper to care.

Sean and Asher decided to follow the others to their next class, to ensure they didn't get lost again. Tailing closely behind Julian and Levi, the group of Ravenclaw students walked into their next class, Potions, to see that there were Gryffindor students in the class as well.

A man slowly made his way I the door when all the students were settled, Gryffindor on one side, and Ravenclaw on the other.  
"Okay students, today we will be taking down the recipe for a wart-reducing potion. I know how big rivalry can get between houses, so I'm going to pair you up with someone from the other house."  
There was a collection of groans.  
"Oh, come on, it won't be so bad. Let's see. I'm not one for last names, so I'll call you by your first, listen up now."

Everybody stood, and gathered their things as the professor glanced at them.  
"You, Flint, I think that's your name… you're with this boy here," The professor said, putting his hand on Thad's shoulder. "Asher, I'll put you with Olivia over there, and Levi, you go with Darren at the back there."  
The professor continued to assign partners, until everybody had been assigned. The partners all brought their things to a table and sat down.  
"Now, whenever your two houses have class together, I expect you to be with your partner. No exceptions."

Asher glanced over at Sean, who was sitting quietly beside a boy with blond hair. He recognised him as Seth, one of the first kids sorted into Gryffindor. He was tall, for an eleven year-old, with bright blue eyes. He was giving Asher a look of distaste, so Asher looked over to Liz.  
She was sitting beside another girl, with long curly black hair. He didn't remember her name, but he knew she didn't smile often.

Looking back over at his own partner, Asher smiled. She had light brown hair, held up in a ponytail, and was smiling while looking through her textbook. Olivia seemed like a nice person, so Asher thought that maybe, just maybe, he would grow to like this class.

They took down the note, without saying more than a few words to each other, but Olivia never stopped smiling. When the class was over, the Ravenclaws made their way to their final class of the day; Herbology.

"My partner is sweet! He likes everything I do! I may have made a new best friend, sorry Julian, sorry Thaddy-kins." Levi was beaming, and laughing at the pout on Julian's face.  
"How about you, Thaddy-kins. Do you like your partner?" Levi asked, nudging the book in his hands slightly, so Thad made eye contact with him.  
"He's… nice, I guess. We didn't really talk much… He let me borrow a quill…" Thad mumbled shyly, and Levi nudged him in the side.  
"Oh come on, you need to stop being so reserved! Let loose a little!" Levi began swinging his limbs in all direction, prompting laughs from most of the group, save Thad.

"Seth, my partner, was pretty quiet. He didn't even bother looking at me." Sean mumbled, and Julian laughed.  
"Aww, maybe the little Gryffindor just doesn't like us?"  
"Dude, have you seen him? He's not little." Levi quipped.  
"I know! We should curse him or som-" Julian continued on, but Asher tuned him out.

Stepping out of the castle, Asher got a good look at the Quidditch pitch. The grass was a nasty shade of orange, but he could see the giant figure of Hagrid moving around it, scattering what looked like salt onto it.

Making their way into Greenhouse One, the Ravenclaw students sat down at their benches when the Professor, a small pudgy woman, began to tell them about the different uses for magical plants.

Making their way back into the castle, hours later when the lesson was over, Asher trudged his way with the others back into the common room, where they waited a bit for dinner to be ready.

"Alright guys, dinner is starting soon, better get a move on. The first couple weeks dinner is mandatory, but from then on you can do whatever. Make sure you keep up with your nutrition though!" Chase was calling to them as he led them out of the common room and down to the Great Hall.

When they were there, they pigged out on as many things as possible, and it just kept coming. Asher briefly wondered where all the food was coming from, but a large turkey appeared on the dish near him, so he reached out toward the distracting meat.

The next few days passed similarly, going to their classes and then dinner afterward.  
Transfiguration class with his dad was interesting, as he, Thad and Sean were the only ones capable of transfiguring their match into a needle on the first try. His dad awarded them ten points, and sent the class on their way.

On the seventh day of term, the Headmistress, McGonagall, tapped her spoon to her glass, gathering the entire hall's attention.  
"I would just like to say, that it has come to my attention that Hagrid has dealt with the infestation at the Quidditch pitch, and practices may resume as previously scheduled."

The entire hall broke out into cheers, and McGonagall tapped her glass again.  
"However, I know that the first-years are anxious to get to their flying lessons, so I have a proposition."  
The hall settled into quiet murmurs, and the headmistress spoke up again.  
"My proposition is that the first-years have their first practice immediately following this dinner, and that anybody who wishes, may come to watch."

All eyes turned to the first years, and they silently nodded. The hall broke into applause, as the prefects began ushering the first years to the pitch.  
"We will have some extra staff, as we don't usually have all the students learning at once. Any students wishing to watch should wait in the stands."

"I don't believe this! This is gonna be awesome!" Sean was shouting, hitting his fist in the air as they carried their brooms onto the pitch. On the stands were hundreds of eager students, and Asher noticed four older-looking students waiting with a few teachers out on the field. They were dressed in colourful robes.  
The first one, a boy, was clad in yellow and black, and he shook the hands of the Hufflepuff students and introduced himself as the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain.  
Asher glanced over at the boy in blue and bronze, and sure enough, it was Damon; the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain.  
He quickly came to the conclusion that the girl in red was the Gryffindor captain and the girl in green was Slytherin's.

Among the captains were three teachers. One, was an woman with spiky grey hair, and yellow hawk-like eyes. The teacher standing to her left was one Asher didn't recognise; a woman with long black hair. To her left was Asher's dad, wearing similar robes to that of the Gryffindor captain.

"Alright first years," The hawk-like woman spoke up, "my name is Madam Hooch, and I, along with Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher, and Professor Wood, will be teaching you the important skill of flying a broom."

She gestured to the captains, "Your house captains will be here to assist you if you need anything, and will be eyeing for talent. We're a little short on players this year, so we will be allowing first years to play, with certain restrictions."

The Quidditch captains waved and smiled, and Asher looked past them, into the stands, and noticed groups of students wearing coloured robes as well. _They must be the Quidditch teams, well, what part of them there is_.

"Alright. Place your brooms on the ground on your right."  
The students did as told.  
"Now hold your right hand over the broom, and say; Up."

As the students did as they were told, Asher's dad spoke up. "It's said that those who can do this effectively make good flyers. Keep that in mind. Practice."

On the first attempt, three students were able to get their brooms in their hands, and their captains took names accordingly. After a few tries, Asher's broom shot into his hand, and he smiled over at his dad, who smiled back.  
He glanced over at the three students who had succeeded on their first try, and tried to remember their names.  
The first was a Slytherin boy, with silver hair and a cocky smirk. He had green eyes, and was looking around at the other students. The second was a Gryffindor girl, who he recognized easily as Olivia, and he smiled to her.  
It surprised Asher slightly at who the third was. To the left of Olivia, was Thad, standing with the broom in his hand. Asher gave him a look and he smiled weakly.  
"I read about techniques once…"

As soon as Thad trailed off, the broom to his left snapped into the air and into the hands of its student, startling him. He glanced over to see who it was, and Flint was standing with a wide smile on his face.  
"Thanks Thad, for the advice." He grinned sheepishly, and Thad only grinned weakly and looked away.

"Now, mount your brooms." Madam Hooch instructed, and each student did so. He captains were writing things down quickly, trying to take in their postures and they stood with their brooms.  
"When I blow my whistle, I want you all to kick of lightly from the ground, move forward, only a little, and then touch back down."

The students nervously waited, and then the whistle blew.  
Asher kicked off the ground, and tilted the broom's tip downward slightly, and the brooms moved. He touched back down to the ground with a smile.

Looking up, he saw Thad already standing a few yards ahead of where he was earlier, with a nervous look on his face. The cocky Slytherin boy did the same after, followed by Flint and Olivia.  
Asher looked to his left, and down the row, where he caught sight of Valerie's feet touching ground, and Sean moving forward slightly, laughing.

"Alright. I know I'm probably going to regret this, but those of you who are finished can try flying a further distance. But, do not go higher than a few feet from the ground, we don't want any injuries today."

Asher stepped off his broom and walked over toward the side of the pitch where he waited for Valerie and Sean. When they arrived, they all mounted their brooms again and pushed off slightly, hovering in the air.  
"Dude, look at Thad." Sean whispered in his ear, and he glanced up.

Thad was moving around the pitch with a bored look on his face. He was moving quickly, and Asher couldn't help but notice that every eye of the Ravenclaw team had their eyes on him, especially Damon.  
"We should go with him, he's probably really nervous with all the attention he's getting. From what we know, he'll probably pass out." Sean nudged Asher, who nodded.

The three of them flew over to Thad at the same time as Damon. Damon got there before them, and he was engaging Thad in a conversation, who was blushing dark red. Just as they flew over, they heard the end of the conversation.  
"Sorry, I'm err… not really sporty… I don't know how you could, er, use me in a Quidditch match…" He trailed off, and Damon patted his shoulder.  
"No problem! We can show you some stuff, see if you change your mind. Meet up with us at practice tomorrow?"  
Thad nodded, and Damon flew back to check on the other Ravenclaws.

"So he wants you on the team?" Sean asked, flying up beside Thad, who was still red.  
"Y-yeah. Said that I had, um, 'great potential'…"

Sean laughed again, tapping him on the shoulder, and the four of them flew back over to Madam Hooch as she blew her whistle.

"Alright. I take it that our captains have made their picks of you, if they're interested. So those of you who were confronted by your captains, please remain here. The rest of you, you can go up on the stands if you'd like." Madam Hooch spoke, and a couple students groaned, but others were excited.

Asher walked with Sean and Valerie to the stands, but Damon and the Slytherin captain ran up.  
"Wait!"

The three of them turned around, and Damon grinned lopsidedly. The Slytherin captain tapped Valerie's shoulder and was whispering something to her. She was grinning wildly.  
"Uuh, Sean. I didn't get the chance earlier, but I'd like you to stay down here with the others. You flew well." Damon spoke, patting him on the shoulder.

Asher waved a 'bye' to his friend and climbed the stands to watch.

Down on the pitch were eight first-years, two from each house. Standing in front of the Gryffindor captain were Flint and Olivia, both grinning ear-to-ear. Beside them was the cocky Slytherin boy, and Valerie, with their captain. To their left was a boy Asher hadn't seen before, thin and lanky, with sandy brown hair, standing next to a girl, he vaguely remembered her name to be Lily. The two of them were standing in front of the Hufflepuff captain, and to their left was Thad, Sean and Damon.

"These first years have been 'scouted', so now, we're going to give all you," Madam Hooch smiled and pointed to the stands, "a chance to see what your house might be up against.  
Thad visibly paled, and the others looked slightly nervous as well. All except the cocky Slytherin boy, who was still smirking.

Asher watched as the captains appeared to be giving instructions. The captains handed both of their 'scouts' a small bat, and turned them around.  
"Firstly, we'll be testing their skills in each of the positions. Starting with beater."

There were a few groans and faces from the people in the crowd, but Asher was waiting anxiously to find out what they were talking about. His dad had barely mentioned Quidditch, but from the noises he was hearing, being a 'Beater' didn't sound very good.

Madam Hooch walked over to a crate at the side of the field and opened it. She clicked what appeared to be latches, and a fist-size black back shot out toward the first-years.  
As soon as it approached her, Valerie swung her bat, and the black ball was sent flying in the other direction. She grinned, just as it came back toward the other Slytherin. He hit it as well, but this time it was sent in the direction of the Hufflepuff first-years, who didn't react quickly enough.  
The black ball hit Lily, who was knocked to the ground, as it swung back around toward the boy. He hit it, sending it back toward Madam Hooch, who grabbed it in her hand and put it back in the crate.

"Well, that didn't turn out well." She grimaced, and Professor Sinistra ran over to Lily, helped her to her feet, and started to bring her to the hospital wing. The other Hufflepuff boy scowled at the Slytherin boy, and 'boos' were heard from the Hufflepuff team.

Madam Hooch walked out with a larger red ball next. She handed it to Damon, who ushered Sean and Thad on their brooms. They flew higher into the air than they had previously learned, so they were flying higher than the stands, which were taller than trees.

"You guys are going to need to try getting this," Damon gestured to the ball, "past our Keeper, me, and into the hoops." He pointed to the end of the pitch, where there were three tall hoops waiting.  
"Alright, wait for me to get over there, then take your turns."

As Damon was flying over, Thad was looking down at the ball, not holding onto his broom, as he was perched forty-feet in the air. Sean was gripping his broom tightly, trying not to fall off.  
"Just put your feet down here," Thad gestured to where his feet were sitting, up against the wood of the broom, "it's comfortable and you can use your legs to hold you up."

Sean did as instructed, and lessened his grip on the broom. Damon was waving at them from the hoops, and every eye was on Thad, as he was the one holding the ball.

Thad gripped the ball under an arm, and sped off toward the hoops, coming in from one side, and pulling the ball into his hand. Damon had a determined look in his eye, and he flew to the left as Thad's arm flew out to throw the ball, but he flicked his wrist and the ball was sent to the right, where it swung through the hoop.  
Damon grinned and flew over to Thad, nudging him with his elbow, and sending Thad back down to the ground.  
Sean followed after, but Damon was successful in the blocking of the hoop. He nudged Sean like he did with Thad, and the two of them flew back down.

The other houses did the same, and Valerie managed to get the ball past the Keeper, though none of the others were able to.  
The Ravenclaw team was cheering loudly as Madam Hooch walked out carrying a small golden ball. Asher recognized it as the Snitch, which his dad had told him about.

"Now, to get a more traditional Quidditch feel, we're going to put two of you against each other in the hunt for the Snitch. The goal of the Seeker is to get the Snitch before the other, so it will be good practice, should you be given the spot."

The first-years nodded, and Madam Hooch sent the Hufflepuff boy into the air with Olivia. The two flew around looking for the Snitch, but Olivia managed to get it first. Sean was up next, against Valerie, and the two of them both had determined looks in their eyes. Sean got the Snitch, and the two laughed it off.

Up next was Flint against the cocky Slytherin boy. Whilst in the air, the two were bumping each other as they flew toward the Snitch, and Flint's grip on his broom wavered. He slipped from the side of his broom at one final nudge from the Slytherin boy, and he was sent tumbling forty-feet toward the ground.  
All of the people in the crowd gasped, and some girls screamed. Asher glanced down at the other first-years, who were giving Flint worrying looks, and the Slytherin boy one of distaste. The only one to do anything, however, was Thad.  
"Arresto Momentum!"

Flint stopped falling in midair, a few feet from the ground, and he slowly drifted down toward the ground, at the direction of Thad's wand. The teachers only gave Thad a grateful look, and ran over to help Flint.  
"Twenty points to Ravenclaw, ."

The Ravenclaws in the stands started cheering, and Thad was blushing dark red again. The Gryffindor captain walked over to Thad and thanked him, before running off to help Flint, who was picking himself off the ground.

The Slytherin boy flew back down with the Snitch in his hand, smirking.  
"You could have hurt him, Kai." Valerie scolded him, and the grin on his face faded.  
"It's not my fault he can't hold onto a broom." He defended, handing the Snitch back to Madam Hooch, who looked slightly angry.

"Alright, we'll continue this. But," Madam Hooch said, pointing to Kai, "you have detention for the rest of the week. Ten points from Slytherin, I will not tolerate aggressive behaviour."  
Kai frowned, and sat down on the bench at the side of the stands.

"Jenkins, we don't have any other first-years for you to go against, so you'll go against the Hufflepuff Seeker."  
The Hufflepuff team made an apologetic face to Thad.

"Why is that such a big deal?" Asher leaned over to whisper in Liz's ear, and she leaned over to him.  
"The Hufflepuff team's Seeker is supposedly the best one here. He won them the Quidditch Cup last year."  
Asher frowned slightly as Thad flew into the air after the Hufflepuff Seeker.

Madam Hooch released the Snitch and set the two out after it. Thad didn't move, he only looked around, while the Hufflepuff Seeker flew quickly toward the hoops on one side of the pitch, in hopes of getting a better view.  
Everybody in the stands, especially the Hufflepuffs, were watching Thad as he looked around. Suddenly, Thad sprung to life and was zooming on his broom to the opposite end of the pitch as the Hufflepuff Seeker. The Hufflepuffs shouted at their Seeker, and were pointing toward Thad, who was zooming toward a small golden blur.

The Ravenclaws were cheering, and some of the Hufflepuffs looked nervous. Asher looked over at Thad, who was a few feet away from the Snitch.  
Just then, Thad's broom stopped moving completely, and Thad was nearly flung forward off his broom. He managed to grip the front, and stop himself from falling like Flint, but he only grasped it with one hand, and was unable to get his other hand onto the broom.

The stands gasped, and Asher chanced a look at the Hufflepuffs. Sure enough, there was a boy putting his wand away as he grinned. They had stopped Thad's broom.

The Hufflepuff Seeker flew toward the Snitch, which was now hovering by Thad's face, and Thad was swinging his free arm in an attempt to grab it. The Snitch stopped in front of Thad's face just long enough for him to swing his arm.  
His fingers curled around the small golden ball, but his other hand could no longer hold him up. His broom slipped from his grasp, and he started to fall toward the grassy pitch below. People were shouting again, and Thad's free hand rustled through his pocket as he fell.

Pointing it toward where the other first-years were standing, Thad flicked it, and one of the spare brooms began shooting toward him. About ten feet from the ground, the broom reached him, and he landed on it, flying just a few feet from the ground toward Madam Hooch, who was grinning sheepishly.

"Ten more points to Ravenclaw. I don't know what's up today, but you did a good job." She told him, and Thad grinned slightly.

The stands erupted into cheers, and Thad was turning dark red again. Sure enough, the entire school knew who he was now.  
Damon jogged over to Thad, and squeezed his shoulders.  
"That was awesome! You have to play for us! We'd win for sure! I'll tell you what, come down to practice tomorrow, and we'll get you a spot on the team. We're gonna try out some other people, and see if you're better for playing Chaser or Seeker. But wow, that was incredible. Where'd you learn to fly like that? And those spells!"  
Thad was blushing slightly still, "Actually, I've never ridden a broom before, and I was reading through some things at the library, and they seemed to work…"

Asher, Sean and a few other Ravenclaws were running over to Thad now, and beaming.  
"Thaddy-kins! That was amazing!" Levi was shouting shaking Thad by his shoulders. "You'll make the team for sure!"  
"Erm, about that…" Thad turned to Damon, "Is it okay if I don't join the team?"


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I understand the plot in this is something that happened to Harry Potter, but I swear the others are more original. I just needed a plot to set the story up. R&R!**

* * *

**6 -The Bathroom**

"I still don't believe that Thad turned down the offer. That would have been awesome! We would have won for sure!" Levi complained, trudging along beside Julian, Sean, Liz and Asher.  
"Well hey, at least they have Sean as a Chaser. We really needed one." Asher quipped, receiving a thankful look from Sean.  
"Erm, I need to use the little girl's room." Liz said suddenly, turning around to look for the nearest bathroom.

"There's one right there," Sean pointed out, pointing down the hall. Liz ran off in the direction of the bathroom, the other following.  
"Ew, I'm not going in there, that's the _girl's_ bathroom." Levi snapped, looking back and forth between each of them for support.  
"It's deserted anyways… something about a ghost." Julian waved Levi off, stepping into the bathroom.

"Why is there a hole in the floor?" Sean asked, pointing toward a hole in the center of a large circular room. "And where are the sinks?"  
Asher walked over, and looked into the hole. It was dirty, like plumbing, and was very long and winding. IT looked like a safety hazard if he'd ever seen one.

"Hello?"

Asher looked back down at the hole. It was speaking.  
"Hello?" It spoke again, and it sounded feminine… and familiar.  
"Hello? Is anybody up there? I fell in the hole, my ankle is twisted…"

Asher gestured for the others to come over, and they all leaned in toward the hole.  
"Hello? Is anybody down there?" Sean asked, and there was a squeal from inside the hole.  
"I fell in, there's stuff down here, come down! I need help!"

Asher shared a look with the others, before swinging his legs over into the hole. Slowly, he raised his body up, and dropped into the hole. Thankfully, the sides of the piping acted as a slide, and he didn't fall to his death.  
Upon reaching the bottom, he landed on a pile of what appeared to be bones. Sitting in front of him, was Elizabeth.

"Asher? Is it safe?" Came from the pipes, and he poked his head back in. It smelled of rust, and was slightly wet.  
"Yeah, it's like a slide."

Shortly after, Asher was joined by Julian, Levi and Sean. They all looked around, and took in the 'scenery'.  
"Well this is kind of depressing."

"What is it?" Julian asked, kicking at the bones with his foot.  
"I reckon it's some sort of passage out of the castle, let's go check it out." Levi was smiling, and he ran past them toward the opening in the wall.

They followed, Asher supporting Liz and her ankle, into the next room, where there was what appeared to be a large amount of snakeskin.  
"This is sweet! It's huge!" Levi shouted, pointing franticly at the snakeskin.

Following the energetic Levi into the next room, they were stopped by a large door covered in snakes. However, it was already opened, and Julian assisted Levi in pulling it open all the way.  
"This is a lot of trouble for a secret passage…" Sean murmured, glancing over at Asher and Liz.

In the last room, there was a long, tile walkway, leading up to a large stone face protruding from the end of the wall. There were snake statues lining the walkway, and water lining the creases in the tiles.  
"DUDE! That's a skeleton!" Levi shouted, running over to a large snake skeleton lying belly-up on the tile in front of the face statue.  
"I thought snakes have teeth?" He pointed out, gesturing to the jaw of the snake, where there were no fangs.

"I don't think we should be here…" Sean stated, looking over his shoulder.  
"I think Sean is right, I have a funny feeling about this place…" Liz murmured, attempting to stand on her ankle, with little success.

"Fine, let's get out of here." Levi's shoulders dropped and they turned to leave.

"So you're saying it was in the second floor's girl's bathroom?"  
"Yeah, it was like a secret passage, and super sweet! There was this snake skeleton and everything!" Levi explained to Thad in the Ravenclaw common room. Thad was reading through a textbook that he hadn't seen before.  
"Sounds like the Chamber of Secrets." Thad mumbled, flipping the page. From over his shoulder, Asher could see funny-looking symbols written across the page. Thad's attention was fixed on them, and there was a crease in how brow.

"Chamber of Secrets?" Levi asked, just as Chase and Damon walked through the door.  
"I've heard of that. My dad told me about when he was at Hogwarts, there was this big scandal that one of the students was setting a basilisk on the muggle-borns. Harry Potter stopped him, of course."  
"A basilisk is a snake, right?" Julian added in, looking up at Damon and Chase.  
"Yeah, a big one. If I remember my Care of Magical Creatures classes well enough, they kill you if you look in their eyes."  
"Did anybody die?"  
"No, they got petrified. They never actually looked directly into the snake's eyes. The last time someone died from it was fifty years before then. Ever heard of Moaning Myrtle?"  
Thad nodded, but the others shook their heads.  
"She's the ghost from the girl's bathroom on the second floor. Nobody really sees her anymore since McGonagall banned the use of it."  
"But we were in there today. There was this hole in the ground."

Chase looked at them funny.  
"A hole? The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is hidden. Only 'true Slytherins' are supposed to be able to get in."  
"But we're not Slytherins" Levi pointed out.  
"Which is why you guys shouldn't go looking for trouble! Problem solved!" Chase beamed, and the others laughed.

"Oh, Sean." Damon started, "We have practice tonight, don't forget." Sean nodded. "And Thad, if you change your mind about joining the team, let me know."  
Thad nodded sheepishly, and Damon and Chase left toward the dorms hand-in-hand.

"I want to go check out the bathroom on the second floor." Asher stated to Thad, Sean, Julian and Valerie, who were all sitting in the Great Hall. Thad was beating Julian in wizard's chess, and Julian was scowling. Valerie was eating Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans with distaste, passing some to Sean occasionally.

"Why?" Thad asked, without looking up from the board.  
"Something isn't right. But we're going to need Valerie's help. She's a Slytherin."

They all glance up at Asher.  
"You guys can go, I think I'm going to go back to the dorm and read my book," He moved one final piece, "Checkmate, I win again."  
Julian frowned, "What is it you're reading anyways?"  
Thad stood from the table and grabbed his books from beside the chess board.  
"It's an Ancient Runes textbook, for your information."

"Ancient Runes is a second-year elective. Why are you reading its textbook?" Valerie pointed out, and Thad blushed.  
"It's interesting." He began walking away, "and it wouldn't be the only second-year textbook I have…" he murmured quietly, but Asher still caught it.

"Leave him be, he's just shy." Sean said, after spitting out a bean, "Ew, sand."

"Where's the hole?" Julian asked, as he stepped into the bathroom.

Sure enough, the hole wasn't there. Instead, there was a large group of sinks sitting directly overtop of where the hole was.  
"Very funny… a hole, what was I thinking believing you guys… Why would they put a hole in the middle of a bathroom?" Valerie rambled, turning to leave.  
"No, there was a hole. Elizabeth fell in it. That's why she's at the hospital wing." Asher said, and Valerie turned around again.  
"Alright then, where is this hole?" She gestured all around the bathroom.

"It is there, you know."

They all turned toward the toilets, where a girl who looked around her teens was floating above the stalls.  
"Moaning Myrtle?" Valerie asked, and the others perked up.  
"It is there. I go in it all the time, now that the snake it gone. There was a boy in here yesterday, he knew how to move the sinks." She stated, slowly floating down toward them.  
"What did he look like, Myrtle? He might be putting people in danger." Asher said, stepping forward. Myrtle only looked at him.  
"He was young, your age. And he was a Slytherin, of course. That how he spoke snake."

Valerie looked up at Myrtle warily. "Nobody has been a parseltongue in years. The last known one was-"  
"Harry Potter. I know, he came in here too. With his ginger friend and stupid teacher. They went down there, and they killed the thing."

Asher looked between each of his friends, who were all shocked.  
"Did he say his name?"

"No, he didn't realise I was there. I was sitting in the u-bend, like I always do, and I heard someone come in, so I watched from my stall."  
"Thank you Myrtle, you've helped a bunch. Lets go guys."

"No."

Valerie crossed her arms, and glared back at Asher and Julian.  
"But Valerie, you're the only Slytherin in our group! All you need to do is bring up the Chamber of Secrets and see who is suspicious!" Julian's arms flailed as he shouted, and Thad was laughing from his spot on the bench.

"Look, I came down to watch this practice, so I'm going to watch the practice. I don't want you guys bugging me about my classmates!" She gestured to the Ravenclaw Quidditch practice that was happening on the pitch in front of them, and Asher smiled.

It was Sean's first practice, so a majority of the first-year Ravenclaws showed up to support him. He was catching the ball, the Quaffle, successfully. He managed to make a couple goals, and he got congratulatory claps on the back afterward.

"You know, it's actually a good thing Thad didn't join the team. Well, for _my_ house anyways." Valerie sneered, and Julian instantly shut up.  
"You play unfair," Julian's eyes squinted.  
"Slytherin, remember?" She gestured to herself, and Asher laughed.

"Thaddy-kins, you'll tell her to do it, right?" Levi asked, from his spot beside Julian. The two of them gave him their best 'kicked puppy' look, but he didn't notice. He was too entranced by a Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook.  
"He's too busy researching for that Defence Against the Dark Arts assignment." Asher pointed out, and Levi and Julian scowled.

"I've been betrayed," Levi sniffed,  
"I thought you loved us, Thaddy-kins?" Julian added, sniffling for added measure.

Thad glanced up from his book briefly, before snapping it shut and leaving the stands. Levi and Julian shared a sideways glance, "What's up his butt?"

"Something is wrong." Liz stated as she sat down beside Thad in Charms class. He looked up at her briefly from his textbook, then turned his gaze back to his text.  
"I can see it, you know. I know about your crush." Thad's eyes snapped up from his book, as he snapped it closed. His mouth forming a perfect 'o'.

"It's not a crush." He blushed, turning back to his feather and swishing his wand. Just as he made progress, and the feather floated slowly upward, there was a loud 'BOOM' from the other side of the room, and everybody's gaze turned on it.

Sitting behind a layer of ash, were two students. One, vaguely seen as Flint, was laughing, while the other, Levi, had a look of total shock on his face.  
"I… I just flicked…"

The entire room burst into laughter, while Professor Flitwick ushered the two of them from the room. Charms was more fun when the Gryffindors were with them, and Liz couldn't help but notice that Thad was always happier when they were around.

"Thad has a crush on one of the Gryffindors." Liz walked up to Asher, Julian and Levi, who were sitting in the library working on their Defence Against the Dark Arts assignment.  
Levi and Julian instantly broke out into grins, while Asher leaned in to whisper in Liz's ear. "You shouldn't have told them that. Now they'll never leave him alone."

"Which one?" Levi asked, grinning wickedly from ear-to-ear.  
"I don't know, but he's always happier when they're around. And I confronted him on it in Charms and he blushed and denied it. I think it's one of the girls you two hang out with, because he's angry when you're there."

Levi and Julian's smiles shattered.  
"Thad? Angry?" Julian mutters.  
"Impossible." Levi added. Asher shook his head.  
"It would explain why he didn't defend you guys when you wanted an answer from Valerie. And he seems more distant that usual."

The two of them looked sad, and they slowly slumped up from their spots in the library and up to the common room.

Asher and Liz shared a look, as Valerie burst into the library, running.

"I did it, I asked them. I think I know who Myrtle was talking about."


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Plot thickens...**

* * *

**7 - The Forbidden Forest**

Halloween was approaching, and the first-years had absolutely no idea what to do.  
"So, we know it's Landon that is going into the Chamber." Sean recapped what he had been told, and Asher nodded. "and we know he gets in by speaking snake," Asher nodded again, "but we can't tell McGonagall because…?"

"Because if we do, we'd need proof, and he could fake it, to make it seem like we're crazy. And it's too serious of an assumption."  
"So we can't tell any teachers."  
"Correct."  
"And we are going to stop him… how?"

"We," Valerie said, dropping a box onto their table, "are going to follow him."  
"Oookay, and where are we going to follow Landon?"  
"He said he's going into the Forest on Halloween, so we're going to follow him in."  
"But, the feast!"  
"The feast can wait."

"Wait, which one is Landon again?" Asher asked, getting looks from Valerie and Sean.  
"He was in your boat on the first day. Black hair, smirks a bunch…" Valerie explained, and Asher nodded.  
"What's in the box?" Sean asked, knocking it lightly, and receiving a glare form Valerie.  
"It's an invisibility cloak. I ordered it. As long as we have this on, we'll be invisible. But the enchantment wears off around mid-November, so we'd need to do it before then. Otherwise we'd be three kids wearing a big cloak, and we'll look stupid."  
"So this," Sean said, holding up the cloak, clad in bright pink polka dots, "isn't going to make us look stupid?"  
"It'll be invisible, you idiot." She smacked his hands and grabbed the cloak, "there's only one cloak that won't lose its charm, and it belongs to-"  
"Let me guess, Harry Potter?" Asher deadpanned, cocking his head at Valerie.  
"Actually, yes."

"I can't wait until the Halloween feast!" Elizabeth exclaimed, stretching in her chair in the Ravenclaw common room.  
"Hmm." Thad replied, flipping through another textbook.  
"You're becoming distant." Liz pointed out, "It's fun talking to you."  
"Hmm." Thad replied again, grabbing another textbook off the desk.  
"You're being boring, Thad." Liz grumbled irritated, and Thad's eyes stayed glued to his textbook.  
"Hmm."

Liz stood from the table, and began to leave the common room, passing Levi and Julian on her way. "He's all yours."

Levi and Julian turned to look at Thad, surrounded by a pile of books, tongue sticking out between his lips.  
"Thaddy-kins."

Thad glared up from his textbook briefly, before scowling and looking back down.  
"You know we aren't trying to take a potential girlfriend from you. We're just making friends." Julian pouts, and Thad looks up.  
"Yeah, we'll lay off Emma, because we can totally tell that's who you're fawning after, but we won't stop being friends with her. She's really good friend with Flint, so she comes with being friends with him."  
"Then why don't you stop being friends with Flint?" Thad grumbles, flicking his eyes back down to his book. Levi and Julian exchanged a look.  
"Because we're friends. Remember; 'bros before hoes', it's only been our motto, like, forever."  
Thad scowled, and began packing his books.  
"Fine. But you two had better leave me alone now, I really need to work on this." He said, gesturing down to the large amounts of parchment on his desk.  
"Alright, but you'd better keep us updated."

"Alright, the Halloween feast is going to start soon, so we've gotta head down to the Great Hall." Chase exclaimed to the first years, who all excitedly ran toward the door.  
"Now, Valerie told us to meet her by the Slytherin hourglass. She has the cloak, so nobody would see her."  
"Now all we need to do is get there without getting caught."

The two of them followed the other first-years down toward the Great Hall, but took a left turn and could see the front entrance clearly. On the right side of the door was the Gryffindor hourglass, slowly dripping red sand, and to the right of that, was the Slytherin hourglass, dripping green sand.  
The hourglasses counted house points, and from the looks of it, Gryffindor was in the lead, followed by Hufflepuff, then Ravenclaw. Slytherin was in last place, and beside it, Asher could see a waving hand, without the rest of the body.  
"There," He pointed out to Sean, and the two jogged over to her, slipping under the cloak.

"Took you two long enough, he's already left."

The three of them shuffled under the cloak out the front entrance and into the forest. Speeding up, they could see the outline of a boy, slightly muscular.  
"There he is, follow him."

The three of them followed Landon into a clearing, where there were four other figures standing, each of them with long cloaks and hoods.  
"Good, son, you made it."

"We were beginning to think you would defy us, and not show up." The figure furthest on the left spoke, dropping his hood.  
He was a muscular man, with a scarred face. He was missing a few teeth, evident by his crooked smile, and was looking menacingly at the boy.  
"Quiet," The man in the middle scolded him, "now, Landon. Have you and Aubrey released the basilisk yet?"

"Which one is Aubrey?" Asher whispered to Valerie, who nudged him.  
"Aubrey is Landon's sister, she's a second year Slytherin."

"She went to do that today. We've been taking care of it in the Chamber like you asked. But there's a kid that's on to us, I know it."

The three of them froze, and watched with bated breath.  
"Which kid?" The scarred man asked, grimacing.  
"His name is Thad Jenkins, and he's too smart for his own will. He's been following me around." Landon spoke, crossing his arms. "Aubrey knows, she plans on using him as the basilisk's first target. He's muggle born, so it follows the trend."

The man in the middle laughed.  
"Wonderful. You make your mother and I so proud sometimes. You remember what we want you to do now, right?"  
"Yeah, yeah. Get the good students and muggle-borns. So the school can't fight back when you attack. I got it."

Asher and Sean gasped under the cloak, and the scarred man smiled.  
"Good. I believe you have a feast to get to, don't you?"  
Landon nodded, and began to leave the clearing. The three friends followed closely behind listening to Landon murmur.  
"Stupid Thad, he's too smart. It'll be great seeing him dead…"

When the three of them walked into the Great Hall for the feast, a few eyes turned to them. Instantly, they searched for Thad, who was sitting beside Levi and Julian. Asher sighed, relieved, until he saw Thad stand up from the table.  
"I've got to go to the bathroom, I'll see you guys in the common room, I just have to put the last touches on my Defence Against the Dark Arts paper."  
"Yeah, sure. See you then." Levi waved him off, and Thad left the room. Asher exchanged glances with Sean, who looked nervous as well.

At the end of the feast, the students began to leave the Great Hall, headed for their dormitories.

"What did you do your Defence Against the Dar Arts assignment on?" Julian asked Asher, who was followed shortly by Sean and Levi.  
"Hipoggriffs, they're pretty awesome creatures if you think about it." Asher said, looking over at Julian, "What about you?"  
"Well, seeing as all we needed to do was pick a creature, and explain how to beat it with magic, I picked something really easy; a Doxy." Julian smiled.  
"Aren't those the poisonous pixies?" Sean asked, leaning in to the conversation.  
"Yup, a simple stunning spell makes them blow up. I even tested it." Julian laughed, "What did you do yours on, Sean?"  
"Red Caps." he responded, "we learned a bit about them in History of Magic, so I figured 'why not?'. How about you, Levi?"

Levi just laughed.  
"I know that Thad did two projects, so I was just going to steal one of his."

The group of them entered the common room, and walked over to where Thad usually worked.  
"See? It's right here." Levi said pointing down at the two piles of parchment. "This one is on… manticores," he pointed to the first one, "Those are sweet, I'm taking this one."  
"What about the other one? What if it's cooler?" Julian asks, and Sean walked over to pick up the other one. He paled, and Asher looked over to him.  
"What? What is it about?"

"Basilisks."


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I know Thad is sort-of a Mary Sue, but he DOES have some serious flaws. You just haven't seen them in full light quite yet.**

* * *

**8 - The Bad News**

The Great Hall was quieted by the tapping of a spoon on a glass. Every eye in the room turned to look at the headmistress, who had a solemn look on her face.

"I do not have good news."

The entire room went dead silent. As the headmistress stood behind the table, a throat was cleared at the back of the room.  
"What are you talking about, miss?"

"The second floor bathroom will not be under constant supervision. Any student caught in, or outside, of it will be given an automatic detention, and pending investigation, expulsion."

The room broke out into whispers. Before a shout was heard from the back again.  
"But I actually use that bathroom!"

"As some of you know, the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in that bathroom." The hall broke out into murmurs again, "and it has been re-opened."

They hall became chaos. Some girls were crying, and others looked absolutely outraged.  
"By who?" Came the voice from the back of the room. "And why are you banning us? It's not like anything has happened!"

The headmistress looked sheepish.  
"But, that is the thing. Something _has_ happened."

The entire room went dead silent. Until the voice spoke up.  
"What happened?"  
Everybody in the room waited with bated breath until the headmistress spoke, but she stepped down from her spot to stand in front of the Ravenclaw table.

"A student has been attacked and petrified." Everyone broke out into murmurs, "and this student is from the Ravenclaw house."

The Ravenclaw table began throwing questions to one another. Asher and Sean looked around frantically for Thad. However, he was sitting at the end of the table, right by the headmistress.  
"The student's name is Elizabeth."

Asher and Sean's eyes went wide, and they looked at each other.  
"She is a first-year student, and was found in the second floor bathroom, on the floor, in front of a large puddle of water.  
To take action against the danger, students are advised to travel in groups."

The Great Hall started whispering again, and the headmistress returned to her seat.

"So what are we going to do?" Sean asked, looking at Asher and Valerie.  
"You guys are thick." Valerie deadpanned, "we aren't going to _do_ anything. It's a twenty-foot snake that can kill us and petrify us. We're eleven. What _can_ we do?"

"We can read Thad's essay." Asher supplied, and Valerie gave him a look.  
"Because reading an essay is going to help us."  
"But it will!" Sean exclaimed, and he received a look from Valerie. "The point of the essay was to explain how to beat the creature _with magic_. We can do magic. Thad has just put us, like, forty steps ahead!"  
"Except that we need to hand that essay in today," Asher looked over at the large clock, "In twenty minutes, actually."  
"Well then we'll ask Thad, he must know the stuff he wrote. Or we can somehow convince him to hand in the manticore paper, and Levi can fail. I'm sure Levi won't mind, I mean, it's to save lives."  
"I seriously doubt that will work. Levi _just_ got his hands on that paper, he's not going to give it up."  
"Then we'll get Thad to-"

"Get me to do what?"

The three of them turned, and saw Thad, walking toward them, holding a report in his hands.  
"Thad! We need your report." Sean said shakily. Thad raised an eyebrow.  
"Let me think about that…" Thad went into his messenger bag, putting his report into it, "no. I just got this back from Levi, and I'm not risking it being taken again."  
"Wait, you're handing in the report on manticores?"  
"Well, duh. That one is much better written. Besides, I left the other one under my mattress anyways." He turned to leave, "I'll see you guys later."

"Alright class, time to hand in your papers."

Asher looked around the room, and saw Levi with his head in his hands, and Thad grinning slightly. Thad handed over his paper, and Levi looked up at the teacher.  
"Would you believe me if I told you that my owl ate it?"

The teacher only scowled, and passed him to collect the rest of the papers.

"Alright class, today we're going to learn some offensive spells. Starting with the basic knockback jinx, Flippendo," Thad's hand shot up, "Yes, Thad?"  
"I already know the knockback jinx, sir."  
"Erm, lets see… you can skip on to the next spell, Vermillious. It is an offensive spell that shoots red sparks." Thad's hand shot up again, "Yes, Thad?"  
"I already know that spell too."

The entire class began to giggle a bit, and the teacher glanced at Thad.  
"Are there any spells in this text that you _don't_ already know?" He grinned slightly, and Thad tilted his head a bit.  
"No sir, I've practiced all of the spells in the text."

The entire class looked at Thad, dumbfounded. The teacher only grinned. He went behind his desk and grabbed another textbook.  
"Here," he said, placing it on Thad's table, "try this. It's filled with offensive spells used solely for the defeat of magical creatures. I expect it back when you're finished."  
Thad nodded, reaching for the textbook, but the professor pulled it back slightly.  
"However," He grinned lopsidedly at Thad, "I'm going to need proof that you know this spell."

Thad grabbed his wand from his robes and pointed it at the cage on the teacher's desk. The cage was filled with what looked like rats, and Thad grinned.  
"Flippendo."

There was a bright blue light, followed by a crash, as the cage was knocked from the desk onto the ground, opening. Thad then continued flicking his wand at each rat, until they were flying up in the air, when Thad began spinning his wand, creating what appeared to be a small tornado.  
The class stared in awe as the tornado knocked the rats back until they were back in the cage, when Thad swung his wand, closing the latch.

The professor was speechless.  
"I… that… third-year level…"  
Thad silently grabbed the book from the professor's hands, and leaned back in his seat, flipping it open.

"Hey Thad."

Thad looked up from his new textbook to see the eyes of two Gryffindor students looking down on him. Flint on the left, and Emma on the right.  
"What are you reading?" Emma asked, fluttering her eyelashes. Thad looked between the two, blushing dark red.  
"Just a textbook that Professor Demogorgon let me read. It has some pretty interesting things on killing snakes." Thad replied, looking up and gesturing to his textbook.  
"That's cool. Can you walk with us? I wanted to ask you something."  
"Sure thing, let me just get the rest of my stuff." Thad replied, grabbing a few textbooks from his table, putting them in his messenger bag, before grabbing his hand-mirror and placing it between the pages of his book, and closing it.

"So we're going to go down to the Quidditch pitch, and see if Aubrey or Landon is acting suspicious?" Sean asked, getting up from his spot in the common room.  
"That, and cheer on Valerie at her first practice. She's the Slytherin Beater you know, which means that all the Slytherins will be there."

"Right, and we're gonna make sure that they don't sick the basilisk on anybody else."  
"Pretty much."

The walk to the Quidditch pitch was short, and within a few minutes, Asher and Sean were sitting in the stands, watching as Valerie flew by in green Quidditch robes, waving to them. They grabbed a seat nearby the other Slytherins, and waited.

Valerie was hitting Bludgers like nobody's business. They were chasing after her teammates, and she would swing her arm, sending them flying in random directions. She was a good Beater.

"Hey, Landon, where's Aubrey?"

Asher and Sean looked over to where the voice had come from, and sure enough, there was Landon, sitting with a few other Slytherins.  
"She just went to the bathroom, she should be back soon."

The one simple sentence sent chills down Sean and Asher's spines. They watched as Landon turned to watch the practice again, but caught their eyes.  
There was a definite guilty look in them, and his eyes widened when he caught Sean and Asher staring. He quickly excused himself and ran from the stands.

Asher and Sean didn't bother to follow, they simply watched from a distance as Landon ran the path up to the castle.

A loud clinking filled the Great Hall that night.  
"Attention please," the headmistress called, tapping her glass, "Attention."

As the students stopped to listen, the headmistress' face fell.  
"Students will now be escorted to and from classes. Quidditch will be cancelled until further noted, and students are restricted, for their own safety, from wandering the corridors alone or at night."

A few people began to whisper, as a voice came from the back of the room.  
"Was there another attack?"

Nervously, the headmistress nodded. The hall broke into whispers and murmurs again, and the boy at the back called out again, "Who was it?"

The headmistress stepped down from her spot again, so she was standing in front of the table that she once stood behind.  
"There have been three attacks."

The entire crowd burst into noise, and this time, the headmistress didn't bother to clink her glass. Instead, she shouted, "I will have silence!"

The entire room went without noise, and the headmistress bowed her head.  
"The three students who were attacked, were careful. I'm sure that if they hadn't taken the precautions they had, they wouldn't be alive.  
Two of the attacked students are Gryffindors, and the third is a Ravenclaw student. All first years."

Sean and Asher searched the table frantically, but did not see any trace of Thad. Asher's stomach dropped as he listened to the headmistress' next words;  
"The students who were attacked are Flint Wilson, Emma Bradbury, and Thad Jenkins."

"Can we see him?" Sean asked Madam Pomfrey, who nodded.  
"You can, although I don't see the point of speaking to someone who has been petrified, they can't hear you."  
Sean and Asher only nodded, as they pushed past Madam Pomfrey.

Lying on a bed next to Flint and Elizabeth, was Thad. He was completely still, one arm outstretched, as if holding a book. Sean couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Thad being petrified with a book. His upper body was tilted slightly to the right, as if leaning in to show something.

"Madam Pomfrey," Asher called, and the nurse hustled over, "was Thad holding anything when he was petrified?"  
"Why, yes. He was holding a book. He appeared to have been showing the other two something inside it when the attack happened. Would you like to see it?"

Asher nodded, and the nurse hustled over to Thad's bedside table, where she grabbed the pale green textbook that Professor Demogorgon had given him earlier.  
"Here you go, boys."

Asher grabbed the book, and flipped it open, to find that there was something sticking out between some pages. Asher flipped to it, to find a shattered mirror lying inside the textbook. Flipping it closed, Asher led Sean from the room.

Back in the common room, Asher immediately went to the dormitory. As soon as he entered, Levi and Julian were at his side, asking if he knew anything. Instead of answering, he walked at a brisk pace to Thad's bed.

Levi and Julian gave him questioning looks, as he threw back the sheets of Thad's bed. As soon as they were removed, Asher lifted the mattress to find a small roll of parchment.  
"So _that's_ where he put that!" Levi exclaimed, as Asher unrolled the parchment.

_The basilisk is a giant serpent, also known as the King of Serpents. It was a creature bred by Dark Wizards. Herpo the Foul was the first wizard to breed a basilisk. He accomplished this by hatching a chicken egg under a toad, which resulted in the creature we know today. Basilisk breeding was banned in medieval times. The practice, however, can be hidden by simply removing the egg from under the toad._

_ Although classified as an XXXXX creature, meaning it is a known wizard killer that cannot be domesticated due to its immense powers, because the basilisk is still a serpent, parselmouths may put a basilisk under his or her control. This depends on the relationship between the basilisk and the master, as Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, was the only one who could control Salazar Slytherin's basilisk in 1993, while famous wizard Harry Potter had no control over it._

_ Basilisks can grow to over fifty-feet long, and have rows of sharp, venomous teeth. The basilisk kills its prey with its gaze, however it is not its only means of attack. If a victim looks indirectly at a basilisk's eyes, it may become petrified, as is the case with the 1993 attacks. Known 'victim' Hermione Granger explains in a report;  
"I was fortunate enough to only be petrified by the basilisk. A friend of mine and I were looking around corners with my mirror when we encountered it."  
Other known victims explain that they survived the attack through various means; one seeing the basilisk through his camera, and another seeing the basilisk through the body of the Gryffindor Tower ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington.  
However, glasses do not have an effect, as the wearer is still looking directly at the creature. This is proven true, as known victim, and ghost at Hogwarts, Myrtle, is seen wearing glasses, although she was the first and only victim of the basilisk attacks in 1943.  
The basilisk is known for its ability to manoeuvre by squeezing through pipes to find its victims._

_ The crow of a rooster is fatal to a basilisk, and spiders flee before it, as it is their mortal enemy. Phoenixes are immune to the gaze of a basilisk._

_ The only known, and recorded, defeat of a basilisk was done by Harry Potter, who explains;  
"I did not have my wand at the time, as it was taken by Tom Riddle, but Professor Dumbledore's pet phoenix, Fawkes, was able to scratch out the basilisk's eyes so I was able to look at what I was fighting. I ended up standing on the head of an enlarged Salazar Slytherin and impaling the basilisk through the roof of its mouth with the sword of Godric Gryffindor. The basilisk's fang stuck into my arm, but Fawkes healed me with his tears. I was fortunate. If I remember correctly, my close friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger stated that years later they returned to the Chamber of Secrets and came across the basilisk's body and took its teeth. There should be no more basilisk threats at Hogwarts."  
In one copy of the book 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' that Harry Potter had taken out of the library at Hogwarts it is stated that basilisks had not been sighted in over 400 years. Mr. Potter states that he made a comment beside said line saying; "That's what you think."_

_ The difference can be told between male and female basilisks, as male basilisks have a red plume on its forehead._

Asher set down the report after reading it aloud to the three other occupants of the room.  
"It seems to me like we're screwed. Harry had a sword and a phoenix. We have none of that."  
"But it said Harry didn't have his wand, so he hadn't tried magic. We have magic, so we can use that to out advantage." Sean stating and Asher nodded.  
"But how is it getting around? Where are we supposed to stop it?" Julian asked, flailing his hands in the air.

"Thad has the answer in his report," He holds the report out, "He said it's known for using pipes as transportation."  
"Why isn't Elizabeth dead though? She didn't have a mirror like Thad and the others did." Levi pointed out, shuddering at the thought of a classmate being dead.  
"The water," Asher responded, "McGonagall said that there was water all over the floor in the bathroom. She must have seen the reflection."

The others nodded, and the four of them looked at the book sitting on Thad's bed.  
"Do you reckon there are any spells in there to use on a serpent?" Sean asked, pointing at the pale green book. Asher walked over, and flipped it open to the page with the mirror shards. He quickly dumped the shards onto Thad's bed before scanning the page.

"Thad has told us that too," He said pointing down at the page, "he left the mirror in this page on purpose."

Asher showed the others the page, where it explained the use of a spell that can be used to kill serpents.  
"And what if this doesn't work on a basilisk? It said it was the King Serpent, so maybe it's immune or something?" Levi asked.  
"It's in here too, look." Asher pointed down to the page.

"A spell that makes the noise of a rooster? That's handy."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Nearly there! R&R!**

* * *

**9 - Christmas**

"Attention," McGonagall called, and the excited noise died down. "I have good news."

Instantly, everybody perked up. The headmistress smiled, and looked out upon the Great Hall.  
"Our mandrakes are growing rather well, and we should be able to make the potion and revive the petrified students at the end of the Christmas holidays."  
The entire hall cheered, and the headmistress sat back down behind her table. For the rest of the meal, the only thing people could talk about was seeing their friends again.

"I can't believe it! We get to see Thaddy-kins again!" Levi smiled, glancing between each of his friends. "Well, and I guess having my Potions partner back would be nice too, but Thaddy-kins!"  
"I'm sure he'll be happy to see you all again." Valerie added in, before smiling and leaving the table.

"Landon is planning something. I know it." Valerie told the others as they gathered at the Quidditch pitch.  
"Did he say anything specific?" Sean asked, but Valerie shook her head.  
"He said he was waiting for Christmas holidays. So at least one of us is going to need to stay behind and watch him."  
"And someone needs to watch Aubrey too." Levi cut in.  
"And we know that there's only one Slytherin here…" Julian trailed off, looking at Valerie. She turned red.  
"No way! I was going to suggest you two," she gestured to Julian and Levi, "because you haven't done anything!"  
"Ah, but what if they split up?" Sean changes the conversation. The others just stay silent.  
"I guess we're going to need some Slytherin help…"

"I've got it! Brooke!"  
"Brooke?" Asher asked Valerie, who was beaming ear to ear.  
"Yeah, she's a Slytherin in my year. She hates Landon and Aubrey!"  
"Then I guess we're using her help. You two need to watch the two of them during holidays."  
"Alright, but you guys still better be careful. We know what happened to Thad because he knew too much…"

A week later, Levi, Julian and Sean were on the train returning to the platform for holidays. Valerie and Asher waved goodbye to them as the train took off down the tracks.  
"Are you sure you want to stay?" Valerie asked Asher, who nodded.  
"Yeah, my dad is here all holiday, and I figured I could spend it with him."

The two of them returned to the castle, where they instantly spotted Aubrey and Landon laughing and walking together. Turning his head a little, Asher could see Brooke watching the two of them.  
Brooke was pretty. She had shoulder-length brown hair, and blue eyes. There were a few freckles scattered on here face and she was usually smiling.

"She seems nice." Asher stated to Valerie, who simply laughed.  
"She is. But she's feisty. Think of her like a female version of Levi." She laughed at the comparison.

"Whoa! Your hair! It just changed colour!" Valerie shouted, and Asher glanced up slightly. Sure enough, where his brown hair was sitting moment ago, there was a tuft of black hair.  
"Did I not tell you about that? I'm a metamorphmagus. I can change my physical appearance at will. But sometimes it just changes. No big deal."  
Valerie continued to eye Asher, until she took off following Brooke after Aubrey and Landon.

Asher returned to the common room, where Chase and Damon were snuggling by the fire.

"Oh, hey Asher." Chase greeted as Asher slumped down on a chair by Thad's working table. "What's up?"  
"Just trying to figure some things out."  
"Anything we can help with?" Damon asked, brushing a bit of hair our of Chase's eyes.  
"What do you guys know about basilisks?"

"Well, they're big. They don't like roosters, and spiders get really freaked out by them. I know there used to be a big colony of spiders in the Forbidden Forest, but I heard Hagrid say they left recently. Why?"  
"A couple of us think it's a basilisk that petrifying students."  
"Who is included in 'a couple of us'?" Chase asked, peering over Damon's shoulder.

Asher smiled nervously.  
"Levi, Julian, Sean, myself, Brooke, your sister, and Thad before he was…"  
"So really, all first years."  
"Pretty much."  
"There's your problem. The older students know that it wouldn't be a basilisk." Damon said.  
"Why not?"  
"Because nobody would be able to control it." Damon replied.  
"But what if someone could? Like a parselmouth."  
"There hasn't been a parselmouths since-"  
"Harry Potter, I know. And that was because he was linked to Voldemort."

"Exactly. Harry was linked to Voldemort, and Voldemort was the last descendant of Salazar Slytherin. So there can't be any more parselmouths." Damon explained, and Asher frowned.  
"But wait, Damon," Chase interrupted, "didn't Harry Potter's friend speak parseltongue to get into the Chamber of Secrets years later?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"He wasn't a parselmouth, and you can only get in if you are. Maybe this hypothetical 'controller' only knows enough parseltongue to tell it to attack and obey?" Chase asked, and Damon just shrugged.  
"I guess that makes sense, but who teaches their kids 'kill' or 'obey' in parseltongue?"

"Death Eaters." Asher answered, "are any of the Slytherin students descendants of Death Eaters?" Asher asked, and Chase nodded.  
"I think there's three. The two are brother and sister, and the other one is that kid who knocked Flint off his broom on the day of Flying practice."  
"Kai?"  
"Yeah, him." Chase answered, smiling.  
"But everybody knows that the Death Eaters are all in Azkaban. They won't get out."  
"Let's hope you're right, Damon." Chase replied, before kissing him chastely on the lips.

"I overheard a conversation between Aubrey and Landon." Brooke told Asher and Valerie, who instantly perked up.  
"And?" she asked, and Brooke leaned in.  
"I heard them arguing about something. They said something about 'knows too much' and 'fags'."  
Valerie paled.  
"I think they were talking about their next planned victims." Brooke whispered, "Oh! They're leaving; I'm going to go follow them."

"You okay, Valerie?" Asher asked, and Valerie shook her head.  
"They're going to attack my brother. We have to stop him!" She whisper-shouted, but Asher just placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"He'll be fine. He knows enough to protect himself."  
"So did Thad, and we all saw how well _that_ turned out." She snapped, and Asher flinched away.  
"I'm sorry, I'm just… angry at them. I didn't mean that." Valerie apologized, and Asher nodded.  
"We should probably head back to our common rooms now." Valerie mumbled, and Asher nodded.

The two split up, and tried to enjoy the night.

Another two weeks later, the holidays were coming to a close, and there were no new attacks. Students were visibly happier that they were going to get their friends back, and it was the talk of the school.

Asher was walking to the Great Hall with Valerie when he found out.  
"Ms. Baxter. I'm going to need to ask you to come with me." Professor Slughorn stepped forward in the Great Hall, and she looked back at Asher.  
"Can Asher come?" Professor Slughorn nodded, and the two of them were ushered to the hospital wing.

"What happened? Why are we coming here?" Valerie asked, before Professor Slughorn pushed the door open and saw.  
Crouched over one of the beds, holding onto a petrified hand, was Chase. He was sobbing loudly into the sleeve of the petrified boy. Neither Asher or Valerie knew who the petrified boy was, but as soon as she stepped closer, she saw.

It was Damon.

And Chase looked absolutely heartbroken. Chase had a large bandage wrapped around his right arm, but he was still gripping Damon's petrified hand.

"What happened?" Valerie asked, through tears at her brother's expression.  
"D-Damon and I, w-we were going to the G-great hall," Chase choked out in between sobs, "a-and then we heard a noise, and I c-closed my eyes. D-Damon, h-he asked what was wrong, but he didn't f-finish. H-he was just stiff. S-so I k-kept my eyes closed until I-I thought it went away, b-but it bit me."  
"Mr. Baxter was very fortunate. We managed to stop the venom and close his wound."  
"You w-were right, Asher. It's a b-basilisk. A-and it got D-Damon." Chase continued to sob, and Valerie could only attempt to comfort him.

"Asher, I'm going to stay and comfort him. You need to go meet up with Brooke. As soon as possible."  
Asher nodded, and he left the hospital wing alone.

"They said something about failing. That he got away. Do you know if the victim managed to get away?" Brooke asked, and Asher nodded.  
"Really?" Brooke shot up, "this is great news! We have proof!"  
"No, we don't. We just know it's a basilisk. We still can't prove that it's Aubrey and Landon doing the attacking." Asher pointed out, and Brooke sank back down.

"Well we know that they're going to try to finish what they started. Who was the victim that got away?" Brooke asked, tilting her head slightly to the left.  
"It was Chase, Valerie's brother. He and his boyfriend were attacked but he closed his eyes, and got away with just a bite."  
"That's terrible! At least he's okay! He is okay, right?"  
"Chase is fine, but his boyfriend is petrified."

Brooke gave him a saddened look, and the two of them walked into the Great Hall together.  
A little bit into dinner, the headmistress tapped her glass.

"I have some…" she trailed off, "unfortunate news. There has been another attack. And due to recent events, which are still baffling us teacher, the greenhouse containing the mandrakes had been set alight. The mandrakes are lost, and we will not be able to revive the petrifies students. Until, that is, we get a shipment of the potion from 's."

All the students that had opted to stay for the holidays groaned, displeased. The headmistress gave them an apologetic look, before returning to her meal.

The next day, the students who had left for holidays returned, and the news sprung on them the night before had been spread.  
The word got around that Chase had gotten away from an attack, and he was being congratulated. However, he still spent most of his time in the hospital wing with the petrified students, especially Damon.

"It's good to be back." Sean stretched as he stepped off the train.  
"Indeed it is," Julian quipped, and Levi jumped on Sean's back.  
"Piggyback ride! Whee!"

"Guys, it's not time to be happy. We need to be planning our revenge on those three."  
"Three?" Sean asked, dropping Levi to the ground playfully.  
"Yeah, three," Asher answered, "We're pretty sure they have another accomplice."

Julian looked over at Asher.  
"Who do you think it is?"  
"Well, the mandrakes were burned, and it wasn't Landon or Aubrey, because we were watching them all the time." Asher explained.  
"And we were still watching them when my brother and Damon were attacked," Valerie said, "so there needs to be a third person."  
"We think it might be Kai," Asher said, looking up at Sean and the others from his gaze on his feet, "Chase told me that he has Death Eater parents, along with Landon and Aubrey."

"So," Levi said, from the ground, "Death Eaters are the common factor here…"  
"Pretty much. And we need to plan what we're going to do," Valerie said, "I'm getting them back for hurting my brother."

"What are we going to do?" Levi asked, standing up and dusting himself off.  
"Well," Asher started, "we thought that we'd follow them into the Chamber and stop them."  
Sean snorted, "And that's a good idea, how? The bathroom is guarded, and we can't fight a basilisk. All we have is that spell, and we don't even know if it works."  
"You're really cynical, you know." Valerie pointed out, and Sean grinned.  
"It's my trademark."

"Where's Brooke?" Valerie asked, and Asher just shrugged.  
"I haven't seen her since yesterday, why?"  
"Well I figured since McGonagall isn't announcing when students are attacked anymore, I thought she might have been."  
"I doubt it. She's a Slytherin, I don't think they'd attack their own House."

"Are you Asher Wood?" a boy asked, and Asher nodded while tuning around. "Erm, Madam Pomfrey wanted to see you."  
"Okay…?" Asher raised an eyebrow, and him and Valerie made their way to the hospital wing, where they walked in. There wasn't anybody new on the beds, so Asher walked up to Madam Pomfrey.  
"Yes?"

"Oh, yes. I found this in that boy's pocket." Madam Pomfrey said, pointing to Thad. "I thought you'd like to see it." She handed him a small piece of parchment, and Asher began to quickly unfold it. He read it aloud so that Valerie could hear.

_"Three attackers; Landon, Aubrey, Kai. Don't use second floor bathroom." _Asher stared down at the note. Below the small note, there were two large words, "_piping transportation" _and Asher turned back to Valerie.

"What does this mean?" Asher asked, and Valerie took the note.  
"It means…" Valerie thought, and then her head snapped up. "Thad is a genius."


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: We're almost at the end! Action here we come!**

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**10 - The Plan**

The next few months passes without any attacks. People were beginning to believe that the attackers had left, and some rumours were being passed around.  
"I heard that the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain was the attacker, but he did something wrong, and got himself petrified. That's why there haven't been any attacks."  
"I think it's a Hufflepuff student. Their house hasn't been attacked yet."

The headmistress tapped her spoon to her glass at dinner in mid-April, and everyone in the hall went silent. They were fearing the news that the attacks had been started again.  
"We are fortunate," she began. "the attacks have been delayed. However, this does not mean we should not still be taking precautions. I have been told that teachers have seen students walking the halls alone."

A few people looked away, but the headmistress continued.  
"The attacks could resume at any time. So it is still advised to students, for their safety, to travel with groups of four to five people."

The headmistress returned to her spot, and Asher instantly turned to Levi, Julian, Sean and Chase.  
"We need to do something soon. We need to think of a plan." Asher said, and the others nodded, but Chase was hesitant.  
"Don't you guys think you should figure out Thad's clue first? I mean, you've had it for months and you still haven't figured it out." He mumbled, poking his chicken with his fork.  
"Valerie is working on it. At least we know now that they aren't using the second floor bathroom. It explains why we haven't seen them go in there."  
"Whatever you guys are planning, don't give me a part," Chase said, pushing his plate away, "I'm going to go sit with Damon."

They watched him go, before turning back to each-other.  
"What are we going to do? We've been following them for months, and there's nothing out of the ordinary." Sean said.  
"Well as long as they don't get away, we can make sure they don't attack anybody else." Asher replied, looking over his shoulder at Valerie, who was looking through a map of Hogwarts' plumbing system.

"I take it that Brooke is still trailing them then?" Julian asked.  
"Yeah, she said they just sit around and talk. Nothing exciting."

The doors to the Great Hall swung open and Brooke came running in.  
"There's been another attack. But I was watching Landon and Aubrey the entire time."  
"Then I bet it was Kai." Sean muttered, and Brooke nodded.  
"Probably."  
"Did you see him going anywhere?"  
"He just went into the fourth floor bathroom, but Landon and Aubrey were walking away, so I followed them."  
"So then we know it's Kai that did the attack."  
"Yeah."

"Who was attacked?" Valerie asked, walking over. Brooke looked up at her.  
"Erm…" she trailed off.  
"Come on, who was it?"

Brooke looked up at her sheepishly, and then sighed. "It was your brother, Chase."  
Valerie's face kept its flat expression, and she turned and stormed from the room. Asher and Sean shared a look, before turning back to Brooke.  
"We should probably go after her…" Asher started and Brooke just nodded.

Asher and Sean stepped into the hospital wing, and saw Valerie sitting beside a bed. On the bed was the petrified state of Chase, with his arms spread-eagle, and eyes drooped. Valerie was scowling, holding her brother's hand.  
"What's with the scowl?" Sean asked, walking up behind her. She glanced at the two of them over her shoulder, before looking back at her brother.  
"I just don't understand why he did it."

"Did what?" Asher asked, stepping out from behind Sean.  
"The person who found him said he 'sacrificed himself'," Valerie explained, "he was standing in front of a mirror in the bathroom like this." She gestured to his spread-eagle posture.  
"It's not something to beat yourself up over."  
"He left a note," Valerie cut in, "he said he needed to 'petrify himself' so something worse didn't happen."

Asher and Sean only looked between each other. Madam Pomfrey came scurrying into the room, preparing two more beds.  
"What's going on, Madam Pomfrey?" Valerie asked, looking at the worried look on the woman's face.  
"There's been more attacks."

The three of them looked between each other, before looking over to the doors where two more petrified students were being brought in. The first, was Brooke.  
She was petrified with her finger pointing directly away from her chest, and her mouth open. Her brow was lowered as if she was yelling.

The next student to be brought in was familiar. He had long, almost silver hair, and had a look of absolute rage on his face. Asher's brain clicked.

It was Kai.

"So, what are we going to do?" Sean asked, looking down at Asher, Valerie, Julian and Levi. "Like, what's the plan."  
"We're going to sneak into the Chamber of Secrets, and we're going to kill the basilisk." Valerie answered, receiving shocked looks from both Levi and Julian.  
"How are we gonna get past the guards?" Asher asked, as Levi and Julian snapped their jaws shut.  
"I ordered another invisibility cloak. This one is pink." Valerie laughed, and Asher only nodded.

"So, when are we going to do this?" Sean asked, and the others instantly perked up.

"Right now."


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: The action is afoot! R&R!**

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**11 - Down the Hole… Again**

"Ow, that's my foot!"

The five first-year students barely fit under the large pink cloak. They were stumbling the entire way into the bathroom, and managed to get through to the sinks without getting spotted.

"We may have a problem." Julian said, and the others looked at him.  
"Yeah, how do we move the sinks?" Levi asked, and Valerie rolled her eyes.  
"You don't seriously think I would bring us here without being prepared, do you?" She scoffed, and pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket. Tossing the pink cloak to the ground, she unfolded the paper.

Reading from the paper, Valerie began to make a low hissing noise. The others stared at her in shock, and the sinks began to move.  
"What did you just say?" Sean asked, jaw still dropped.  
"Open." She said, as she stepped forward to look down the hole. "Are you guys going to go down?"  
"Ladies first." Levi grinned, holding out a hand. Valerie glared at him, before sitting on the edge of the hole.  
"I'll let you know when I'm at the bottom." She said, before dropping herself over the edge of the hole and sliding down.

The four boys waited a bit, before they heard a noise.  
"You're going to die you know."

Asher looked up, and he was face-to-face with Moaning Myrtle. She was smiling slightly, and had her arms crossed.  
"Nice to know you have faith in us." Levi quipped, and Myrtle snapped her head in his direction.  
"I would come with you, but I have a terrible fear of snakes now. Good luck. And when you die," She said, pointing at Asher, "you're welcome to share the bathroom."

Asher rolled his eyes, before calling down to Valerie.  
"Okay down there?"  
"Yeah, I'm good. Come on down!"

Asher looked back at the others, before hoisting himself into the hole for the second time. He slid down the tunnel, making a face at the smell of decay, and popped out the bottom, where Valerie was standing, with her arms crossed.

"Whee!"

Asher turned around just in time to see Levi sliding down the hole, his feet touching ground, and raising his arms.  
"And he sticks the landing!"

Valerie rolled her eyes, and the three of them were followed shortly by Julian and Sean.  
"Is it just me or is it dirtier down here than it was last time?" Julian asked, smacking dirt off his trousers. "And smellier."

Valerie turned from the group and began making her way through the Chamber, the others following quickly behind.  
"So… how are we going to know when we've found it?" Levi asked, tucking his hands into his pockets, whistling.  
"Well, I would suggest looking around, but that'll just get us killed. We're going to need to shut up, and listen. If you hear something suspicious, point out your wand and say _'Gallus Vocem'_." Valerie explained, and Levi nodded.

They reached the large metal door covered in snakes, and Valerie hissed again. The door shook, and then a metal snake began to slither around the perimeter, pushing back the other snake heads as it passed. When the snake went around once, the door clicked and began to move backward.  
Stepping through the door, Valerie gasped.

The inner part of the Chamber was pitch black.

"Does anybody know how to make something light?" She turned, and there was a laugh. Flicking her head back in the direction of the Chamber, she waited. There was a sound of footsteps, and the five first-years snapped their eyes shut.  
Julian shot his wand out.  
"Gallus Vo-"

But he didn't finish, because his wand went flying out of his hand. He slowly opened his eyes, to get a look at his now wand-less hand. His eyes widened, and he looked up. Standing directly in front of Valerie, was Aubrey, and she was standing in the entrance of the Chamber, holding both her, and Julian's, wands.

"Nice try."

The others snapped their eyes open, and Valerie flinched back. Aubrey only laughed, before pocketing Julian's wand.  
"That spell doesn't work anyways, we tested it," Aubrey shrugged, "you really thought we wouldn't know about it? We've been trying to sneak another basilisk into Hogwarts for _years_."

Valerie frowned, before putting her hands on her hips.  
"Where's the snake?" She demanded, and Aubrey only cackled.  
"It's not here right now, if that's what you're asking. Landon should be setting it on some teachers right about now." She grinned, before poking Valerie's collarbone. "And there's nothing," she poked again, "you," poke, "can," poke, "do," she poked one last time, and Valerie stumbled backward.

Aubrey's eyes flashed a quick glance at the boys standing with Valerie, before grinning.  
"Funny. Looks like you're missing a few people," her smirk grew, and Valerie's glared at her, "where's the bookworm? Or the annoying brunette? Or the _fags_?"

Valerie flung herself forward, and slapped Aubrey directly across the cheek. Aubrey's smirk disappeared, before she pulled her wand up.  
"I think I'm going to enjoy watching you die." Aubrey sneered, before turning around and stepping into the Chamber. Torches lining the walls instantly lit with green fire, and the Chamber was illuminated.

Valerie looked back at Asher and Levi, before nodding. Asher and Valerie drew their wands, before following Aubrey into the Chamber. They stepped carefully down the passage toward the large statue of Salazar Slytherin's head, which was missing chunks of its forehead.

"You don't have to be so careful, you know. It's not here yet." Aubrey said, from where she was standing, facing the statue.

Valerie quickly whispered to Asher, "What kind of spells do you know that we can use on her?" Asher shrugged.  
"We've only been taught a couple offensive spells. And you take that class too, I don't have any more knowledge than you…" Asher trailed off, and Valerie muttered curses under hear breath.  
"What are you guys doing? She's just going to disarm you." Julian said to Asher and Valerie, who glanced back at him.  
"Well then we can hope she does it verbally, because we don't know the incantation for that spell. It's second-year." Valerie said, and Levi brightened up.  
"If only Thad was here, he knows them all. He was always practicing them on-"  
The three other first-years sent glares in his direction, and he stopped talking.

Aubrey began to hiss at the statue, and the four first-years looked at her nervously.  
"Now you should be afraid," she grinned, "I called it here."

There was a large crashing noise, and the body of a forty-foot snake came slithering from behind the statue. It's eyes were a sickening yellow, and its fangs were sharp, like blades.  
The four first-years snapped their eyes closed.

"You do know that it's venomous," Landon's voice came ringing from near Aubrey, "it can still bite you. I suggest you run."

Levi didn't need to be told twice.  
With his eyes closed, he flung his body to the side, squealing, and landed in the large pit of water by the snake statues lining the side of the Chamber.

Aubrey and Landon just rolled their eyes, ignoring him and setting the snake on the other three.

As the snake drew itself closer, Valerie and Asher began to fling out every spell in their arsenal.  
"_Vermillious_!"

Bright red sparks shot from the end of Asher's wand and into the face of the snake, which hissed, and began to move faster. It went unnoticed, as the two of them were still flinging spells out.  
Julian stood there helplessly, and decided to turn around. Briefly opening his eyes, he looked back toward the doorway they had come in. He debated making a run for it, and heard a swishing sound from his right.

Glancing over, he saw Levi's blond head of hair poking out of the water, eyes still snapped shut. He looked through the water, debating whether or not to jump in with him.

_THUD_

Valerie screamed, and Asher sent out another jinx, which hit the basilisk square in the face, knocking it back toward Landon and Aubrey. They cursed, as the basilisk was now dazed.  
"Cast Flippendo, Valerie." Asher whisper-shouted to her, and she nodded.

The two of them began to cast spell after spell in the basilisk's general direction. Landon was shouting, and footsteps were heard.  
"You can't just knock it out like that!"

Valerie, Levi and Asher instantly snapped their eyes open, and saw the basilisk lying, knocked out, in a puddle of water by the statue, eyes closed. Valerie let out a sigh of relief, before she caught sight of Aubrey running toward them.

"JULIAN!"

Levi's voice snapped Asher and Valerie to look in his direction, only to see Julian.  
Petrified, and lying on the ground.  
Levi was flailing his arms in the water, still looking at the petrified body of his best friend.

Their gaze was interrupted, as their wands went flying from their hands. Aubrey caught them, still running in their direction. Asher ducked a punch, and took off down the corridor after Landon, whose smirk fell.

Valerie and Aubrey were fighting, ducking and punching, while Asher and Landon were doing the same.

"I thought that Aubrey and Landon had wands? Why aren't they using them?" Levi asked, still floating in the water. Landon and Aubrey smirked, and Asher and Valerie glared at Levi.  
"What?"

Aubrey was the first one to grab her wand, and she pointed it directly at Valerie's throat.  
"I'm going to enjoy this," Aubrey smirked, "you've been a nuisance for too long."

"Flippendo!"

There was a bright flash of blue light, and Aubrey went flying sideways, into the water opposite of Levi. Valerie's eyes widened, as she turned to see Levi, still floating in the water, with his wand out.  
"You looked like you needed the help."  
Valerie sent Levi a grateful smile, and the two of them turned to look at Landon.

He was still fighting Asher, only this time, it looked like Asher was dodging green sparks. Before Landon could use another spell, Levi shouted.  
"HEY!"

Landon took his attention away from Asher, who leaned over, panting. Levi waved, and pointed to Aubrey, who was floating belly-up in the water.  
"Don't you want to help your sister?"

Landon snarled, and pointed his wand toward Levi.  
"You're lucky I don't know any painful spells." Landon glared, and Levi laughed.  
"I think a Flippendo was painful enough for your sister."

A spell was shot at Levi, but he raised his wand, and defended it. He raised an eyebrow at Landon, before smiling. Landon sent off another spell, which Levi also defended. Landon snarled again, and shot spell after spell at Levi, who defended each one.

"_Expelliarmus_," Levi said, before pointing his wand at Landon's outstretched hand. Landon's wand flew up into the air, and Levi caught it, grinning. Valerie looked at him, dumbfounded.

"You knew the spell the entire time, and you didn't say anything?" She stared at him in disbelief, and he only smiled.  
"I tried to tell you Thad practiced it on me a bunch of times, but you guys wouldn't listen." Levi grinned, and Valerie glared at him again.

Asher walked over and grabbed Landon, bringing him toward them. Levi walked over to Julian, while Valerie pulled Aubrey from the water and retrieved their wands. Levi pulled the petrified Julian up into a standing position, and leaned on him, pointing his wand at Landon.

"Don't jinx him, we need him." Asher said, and Levi frowned.  
"Why?"  
"He's the only one who can control the thing, and we need to know how to kill it." Valerie answered, handing Asher his wand back.  
"My sister lied," Landon muttered, "the rooster-noise spell works."

Valerie grinned, and stepped over to the knocked out body of the basilisk. Asher and Levi followed behind, dragging Julian.  
"Would you like to do the honours?" Valerie asked Levi, "you were the one who got the both of them," she gestured to Landon and Aubrey.

"Sure, why not." Levi pointed his wand in the direction of the basilisk. Valerie and Asher watched, ad Levi stood there and did nothing.  
"Well?" Asher asked, and Levi looked back.  
"I forgot the spell."

Valerie and Asher looked at him in disbelief.  
"You can remember the spell Thad used on you to disarm you, yet you can't remember the spell to kill a forty-foot beast that could wake up and kill us at any second?" Valerie put her hands on her hips, and Levi raised his hands in defence.  
"Thad's spells hurt!"

Valerie rolled her eyes, and pulled her wand out.  
"Gallus Vocem."

There was a loud rooster noise, and the basilisk squirmed, eyes still shut. When the rooster noise faded away, the basilisk's movements stopped, and Valerie looked back at Levi and Asher.  
"Well," she said, "I think we're done here."


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: We've reached the end of PART 1! Next up, is 'Confundo' which I'll post sometime over the next few weeks. Let me know what you think of all the characters, and what I can do to improve!**

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**12 - The Aftermath**

Levi, Asher and Valerie were sitting in the hospital wing with the petrified students. Madam Pomfrey was brewing the healing potion in a cauldron at the back of the room.  
"Nearly finished with the potion, dears. Then we can have these kids awake in time for the end of the year feast."

The three of them smiled, and Madam Pomfrey came walking over with some small glasses.  
"I'm sorry, but this is going to be unpleasant. I'm going to need to ask you to leave for the time being."  
Asher, Valerie and Levi nodded, and stepped out of the room.

Wandering the halls on their second-last day, the three of them were content. They hadn't needed to take their end-of-the-year exams due the attacks.

"Attention please," the headmistress stood from her chair, "I would like to congratulate the Gryffindor House on winning the House Cup yet another year."  
The Gryffindor table burst into shouts and cheers, people cat-calling to the headmistress, and she waved her arms to settle them down.  
"I would also like to congratulate Asher Wood, Sean Faulkner, Valerie Baxter, Levi Campbell, and Julian Duval for solving, and fixing, the threat in the school. It is thanks to them that we are able to welcome the petrified students back with us this evening." Headmistress McGonagall raised her arms, and the doors at the end of the Great Hall opened.

In walked Madam Pomfrey, flanked by a group of kids. At the front of the group was Brooke, looking cheerier than ever, followed by Emma and Flint. Behind them, looking tired, was Thad, carrying the pale green textbook he seemed to always have on him, Julian walking quickly beside him. Elizabeth came in next, smiling, and she was followed by Chase and Damon, who were hand in hand.  
Following slowly at the back of the group, was Kai.

Thad quietly squished in between Sean and Asher, before placing his book down.  
"Thank you," Asher said to him, "for that hint."  
Thad tilted his head down, smiling, before looking up at the headmistress.

"I would like to take a moment to inform the petrified students, and those who are unaware," the headmistress began, "of the events that took place."

The room went silent, and the headmistress took a large breath.

"Asher Wood, Valerie Baxter, Sean Faulkner, Levi Campbell and Julian Duval broke school rules, and went into the second floor girl's bathroom using an invisibility cloak," she smiled at Valerie, "which we have recovered."  
Valerie blushed, and hid her face in her hands.  
"Using intellect, they went into the Chamber of Secrets," there was a gasp, "where they were confronted by two students. The two students had been using a basilisk to attack students, and the five courageous students fought against it."  
She walked briefly over to Julian, and placed her hands on his shoulders.  
"Unfortunately, Mr. Duval here was unlucky and was petrified in the process, and Mr. Faulkner was locked in the other room. The three remaining students, Levi Campbell, Valerie Baxter, and Asher Wood, sent recurring knockback jinxes, and succeeded in knocking out the beast."

The Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables cheered a little, and the headmistress turned to the others.  
"Mr. Campbell then fought off the two troublesome students, and the three of them brought everyone in the Chamber back to the surface. The two students responsible for the attacks were expelled immediately."

The hall cheered, and the headmistress raised her hands again.  
"But," she said, "let's ignore all the bad things that have happened this year, and enjoy the feast!"  
Food appeared on the tables, and the students began to eat like animals.

"So I guess I won't be seeing you guys until next year then…" Asher said to Valerie, Sean, Levi, Julian and Brooke, who were all sitting in the Great Hall together, laughing.  
"Don't forget Thaddy-kins!" Levi shouted, pointing at the doorway, where Thad was walking in with a packed trunk, and his messenger bag slung over his shoulder.  
"Hmm." He replied, walking to the other side of Levi and sitting down.

"So, how did it feel to be petrified, Thaddy?" Levi asked, punching him lightly on the shoulder. Thad glared at him.  
"Actually, it felt a lot like you were just there. Lying there super bored. Staring at the ceiling wasn't any fun, and I couldn't tell if anybody was there." Julian answered for him, and grinned. Levi turned to him and whispered.  
"You were supposed to let him answer, he hasn't been saying anything since he's been back…"  
"Sorry, I'll be quiet."

The others ignored their shenanigans, and turned back to talk.  
"Write me every week. All of you." Valerie demanded, pointing at everyone who was sitting with them.  
"But this means I have, like, nine people to write to this summer!" Levi protested, "I mean, there's you, Brooke, Asher, Liz, Darren, Thaddy-kins, and Julian! Oh, and those two Gryffindors, Emma and Flint."  
Thad glared at Levi, and it didn't go unnoticed.  
"If looks could kill…" Julian muttered.

"Hey, buddy," Asher's dad came running up to him at the platform, "have fun on the ride back?"  
Asher nodded.  
"They all got picked up already," he said, "but we're going to write. I'm going to e-mail Thad because he actually knows what it is."  
His dad smiled, and ruffled his hair.

"Hey," he noticed, "your hair is turquoise!"  
Asher blushed a bit, "Yeah," he muttered, "I found a book by Thad's bed about metamorphmaguses. It was pretty helpful. Plus, I like the colour."  
His dad grinned, and ruffled his hair again.  
"It's good to know."

The two of them walked together toward Asher's mom and brother, and the four of them took the short car-ride back home.

Well, muggle home.


End file.
